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£15 



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EXPERIENCES 



THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY 
OF CHARLOTTE CLEM 




Class £ T>? <f 
Copyright! — 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



EXPERIENCES 



THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY 
OF CHARLOTTE CLEM 




Sa 



DALLAS, TEXAS, 1916 



CT275- 




©CI.A433891 




MRS. CHARLOTTE CLEM 
The Writer in 1890 



Published by The Author's Children: 

C. E. Clem, Dallas. 

Ollie Clem, Dallas. 
Mrs. W. F. Horn, Dallas. 

J. R. Clem, Dallas. 

H. A. Clem, Dallas. 
H. T. Clem, Pecan Gap. 

R. H. Clem, Dallas. 

Mrs. R. E. L. Sherard, Dallas. 

Mrs. J. A. Bell, Dallas. 



Printed in The United States of America. 

Copyright, 1916, by Charlotte Clem. 

Edited by W. F. Horn. 



Linotyped by J. A. Ball. 

Printed by Wilkinson Printing Company. 

Halftones by Zeese Engraving Company. 

Made in Dallas. 



FOREWORD 

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; 
Her husband also, and he praiseth her. 

In publishing this little autobiography of our 
mother words are inadequate to express the love and 
regard we feel for her. For more than fifty years since 
the oldest of us was born, her desire has not been alone 
that we might have pleasure but her burning hope and 
constant prayer has been for our eternal happiness and 
righteousness. No tribute of words we could frame 
would be as fitting as the following song we often sing 
as a testimony to her : 

Years ago when but a boy, 
Singing songs was mother's joy; 

When my father dear would leave us there so lone; 
I can hear her voice so sweet, 
As she'd sing "When shall we meet?" 

I can ne'er forget my mother and my home. 

Chorus. 

My dear mother, she was true 
To her children and her home; 

She was patient, tender, kind, and lov'd us all; 
I praise God for her sweet name, 
She was ever just the same; 

I can ne'er forget my mother and my home. 



Father he was good and kind; 
Oft he told us we would find 

Not another who would share our ills and woes; 
'Twas her hands that press'd my brow, 
I can almost feel them now, 

I can ne'er forget my mother and my home. 

My dear mother we all knew 
To her God was ever true 

And she told us o'er this world to never roam; 
As in years we older grew, 
She her blessings would bestow. 

I can ne'er forget my mother and my home. 

Now I'm here so far away; 
From that home I've gone astray; 

Yet my mother often prays for me alone; 
Troubles, trials to endure, 
Yet I'll live a life that's pure, 

Then I'll meet my dear, sweet mother in our home. 

THE WRITERS CHILDREN. 



PREFACE 

I am sending this little book — my experiences — out 
with the hope that through it I may influence some 
reader to trust in the Christ I have found so precious ; 
that it may strengthen others who trust him but need 
help, and that it may help my children and children's 
children to live as I have tried to teach them and have 
prayed for them to live. 

I have written facts as well as I can tell them. I 
may not have all dates exactly correct. May God par- 
don errors and bless the truth, is my prayer. 

Savior ! How wonderful thou hast shown thyself 
unto me. 

CHARLOTTE CLEM. 



5511 Victor Street, Dallas, Texas. 
June 10, 1916. 



EXPERIENCES 

My father's name was James Martin. My mother's 
name, before her marriage to father, was Sarah Huff. 
They were married, while young, near Mammoth 
Spring, Arkansas, close to the line of Missouri and 
Arkansas, but I do not know in which state. 

Father died about 1880 at Hot Springs, Arkansas. 
Mother died there in 1910, and both are buried in Hot 
Springs. I think father was fifty-nine years old at his 
death, and that mother lived to be ninety-two. 

Just before father died he called his family to his 
bed and said he wanted to pray for them once more 
before leaving them. He then raised his hands toward 
heaven and offered a prayer for them all, after which 
he requested everyone to take his hand as a pledge 
that they would meet him in heaven. He wanted his 
children to sing and told them the song to sing. This 
is the song he wanted sung : 

The glorious light of Zion 

Is spreading all around, 
And sinners now are coming 

Unto the Gospel sound. 

Chorus. 
To see the saints in glory 

And the angels stand inviting, 
And the angels stand inviting, 

To welcome travels home. 



12 Experiences: An 



The glory of King Jesus 

Triumphant doth arise, 
And sinners crowd around it 

With bitter groans and cries. 

I lived at that time about fifty miles from father. 
They sent a man for me. When he came my husband 
was away from home holding a protracted meeting and 
I had six or eight children, the most of them small, the 
babies were twins and it was five miles to the railroad. 
I thought the trip was more than I should undertake, 
so I was not there when he died. 

Father had one son-in-law, named John Lochran, 
who was very wicked and he especially requested him 
to come closer where he could hear what was said. He 
gave father his hand and said he would try to meet 
him. Father told him heaven was for him if he would 
accept it. John was deeply affected. He told me father 
was by his bedside at night for some time after his 
death. I heard John was converted afterward and 
joined the church. 

I was not with mother when she died. I visited her 
the year before. When I left her I bade her farewell 
and told her I had no idea I would see her again until 
we should meet in the better land, and it would not be 
long until we should all come. 

I was born May 8, 1845, near where my parents 
were married, in southern Missouri, so mother said. 



Autobiography 13 

I was three or four years old, I suppose, when 
father moved to Rusk county, in southeastern Texas. 
Father owned a farm there, not far from Martin's 
creek. This creek, I was told, was so named for one 
of father's uncles, John Martin, who lived there when 
the Indians were still in that country. 

I have passed uncle's old house many times, and 
thought then it was haunted. There were some Indian 
graves not far from it, and on the inside of the house 
was the print of an Indian's bloody hand. He was 
robbing the house when he was seen and was wounded. 
The house was covered with long boards which had 
turned to rock. Just beyond this old house one of fath- 
er's brothers lived, and we had to pass it to go to un- 
cle's. Father lived on the other side of the creek. 

Mother was crossing this creek bottom on horse- 
back one day and had a child with her. Looking to one 
side of the road, she said she saw what she judged to 
be a panther walking along in the high ferns. She 
was riding sidewise, but as soon as she discovered the 
panther she turned astride and laid whip to her horse, 
fearing the panther would leap on her, especially while 
she was crossing the creek. However, it did not attack 
her and she reached Uncle Eli Martin's safe. 

One day, while living in Rusk county, as I remem- 
ber, I was with father in a cornfield near a little creek 
and we heard some dogs running something. Directly 
they treed a large catamount. It climbed to the top 
limbs and was up there looking at the dogs. Father 



14 Experiences: An 

told me to stay there while he went to get a gun. When 
he returned he shot the catamount and it fell in the 
creek — splash! The dogs leaped into the creek and 
pulled it out, I think. My two brothers, older than my- 
self, took the dead beast to the road that led to school, 
which our two cousins traveled, and stood it by a tree 
to scare them as they were going to school. 

I suppose I was no more than six or seven years old 
when father killed the catamount, but I can remember 
things better that transpired then than I can things 
that occurred last year, or last month, or even last 
week. For this reason children should be taught every 
good thing while very young ; for if it be good it stays 
with them, or if it be bad it stays with the child just 
the same. 

From my earliest recollection I believed what my 
father or mother said was the truth, just as I now be- 
lieve the Bible. I did not have any doubts about it. 

I remember a very sad thing that happened while 
I was a little child in Rusk county. I think it was one 
Sabbath morning. The dog had run a rabbit into a 
hollow tree near the house. My brothers went to the 
dog and I followed them. It was not long until we 
heard screaming at the house. We went back and 
learned that our year-old baby sister had walked into 
a bed of live coals in the back yard, where some chips 
and trash had been burnt the day before. There were 
ashes on top, but live coals underneath. Mother had 
gone to the barn, I think, and the baby was trying to 



Autobiography 15 

follow. When she put her hand down to release her 
feet she burnt it also. Father crossed three fences and 
was first to reach her. When he lifted her up the coals 
stuck to her feet. She lay for two or three days and 
nights with her eyes rolled back as though she had a 
spasm. She got well, but it was a long time before she 
could walk. Her toes, all except one, came off at the 
first or second joints. My father slapped me because I 
had not been there to look after her. 

Near father's place there lived some people named 
Kerkendall who owned a great many slaves. On Sun- 
day mornings these negroes would pass where we lived 
going down the creek to gather muscadine grapes. As 
they returned we children would ask for some musca- 
dines. They would give us some from their old, slick 
hats and we enjoyed them as much as though they had 
carried them in new baskets. 

It was while living in southeastern Texas that I 
first went to school. I already knew my letters. When 
I got to school the teacher wanted to know where my 
lesson was and I pointed out the A B Cs. She told me 
to be seated and study my lesson. I sat down, and 
thought to myself, "There is no use studying my lesson 
for I already know it." 

I remember another thing that occurred in Rusk 
county. Mother was gathering up the clothes to wash 
one day and I noticed my oldest sister's dress. I picked 
it up and put it on. It was a great deal too long for 
me ; but I felt dressed up so nice I thought I would go 



16 Experiences: An 

to see one of my aunts who then lived about a quarter 
of a mile from father's. So I started and soon came to 
a stake and rider fence. I climbed over into an orchard 
where there were trees full of hanging ripe fruit — 
peaches I think it was. I do not remember being 
tempted to pull any fruit. I knew my uncle had a large 
dog, which I was afraid would bite me. I peeped around 
to see if I could see anyone and soon my auntie saw me 
and told me to come in. I went in and she said : "Isn't 
your dress too large?" She was sewing and said, "Let 
me tack your dress up so you can walk." Just about 
that time she said, "Run ; your mother's calling you." 
I started back through the orchard the way I had gone 
and soon saw mother standing on the high fence look- 
ing at me. She told me to come on ; and just about the 
time I got one foot over the fence she began whipping 
me with a switch. I think she gave me a lick each time 
she got near enough until I reached home. I ran and 
cried until I had a fever, I think, and vomited that 
night. I remember father was mad, and took me on 
his lap and nursed me to sleep. I did not run away 
again. Father seemed to be partial to the girls and 
mother to the boys. 

Both father and mother were very healthy. He 
raised at home nearly everything we lived on, while she 
spun and wove most of the cloth we wore. I remember 
when we finger-picked the seed out of cotton, and then 
carded, spun and wove it into cloth. Mother continued 
to do all this until the Civil War came on between the 




SARAH MARTIN 
My Mother 



Autobiography 17 

North and South. My father would make almost any- 
thing of wood he needed. He was a good shoemaker, 
but made shoes only for his own family. He also 
tanned the leather for our shoes. 

Father finally had an attack of typhoid fever while 
we lived in Rusk county and became dissatisfied. He 
sold his farm there and moved to Missouri. His broth- 
ers, Eli and Daniel Martin, moved west. Grandfather 
Huff, my mother's father, and his sons had moved to 
Taney county, Missouri; and there is where we went 
when we left Texas. 



My parents were Baptists in their religious belief, 
and had joined the church while young. My mother's 
people were Baptists and, as well as I recollect, were of 
Dutch and Irish descent. Father's people were French 
and English. I think they lived in Alabama before 
they moved to southern Missouri and located near 
where my parents were married. 

I do not know the date of their location in Missouri, 
but there were no churchhouses nor schools then — or 
at least they were scarce. People then did not have the 
advantages of schools for their children which they 
have nowadays. Mother could not read nor write; 
father could both read and write. He would read the 
Bible often with the tears streaming from his eyes. He 
said he learned to write on flat, white limestone, using 
a piece of the same for a pencil. 



18 Experiences: An 

I have heard my mother say that her father's resi- 
dence was used for a place of worship for (I think) 
twelve years. She was converted and joined the church 
while young and before she married. Father was not 
converted until after he married and was the father of 
one or more children, is my recollection. He played 
the violin for the young people to dance to before he 
married ; but he promised mother he never would bring 
the violin home after they married and she said he 
never did. 

I think he was one of the sweetest singers I ever 
heard, and do not remember that I ever heard him sing 
a song that I did not shed tears. There were eight girls 
and four boys of us children, and it was almost as nat- 
ural for all of us to carry a tune as it is for a mocking- 
bird to sing. All my brothers and sisters lived to be 
grown but one ; he lived to be eleven years old. 

I think Grandfather Martin was with the Ameri- 
cans when they fought the Indians. I do not know 
what year it was. Father said he heard him tell about 
being in the war. He said the Indians were camped 
on one side of a lake, while the Americans were camped 
on the other side. I do not know how far it was across 
the lake. Father said there was lots of game on the 
Indians' side of the lake and the Americans would take 
their guns — one, or two together — and cross over in a 
boat to the Indians' side to hunt deer, turkeys and 
squirrels. They would go away below or away above 



Autobiography 19 

where the Indians were camped. One day grandfather 
took his gun and went alone in a little boat across the 
lake. He said he landed his boat so far from where the 
Indians were he thought they could not hear him 
shoot. He tied up his boat and started into the timber 
to see what he could find. 

I do not know how long he stayed, but when he 
got back to his boat the Indians had found it and were 
awaiting his return. There were five of them, as well 
as I remember. They were supposed to have been 
hunting and happened to come across the boat. When 
they saw him they began hollowing and trying to talk 
to him, pointing their bows and arrows at him. He 
said he kept going toward them, expecting them to 
shoot every minute. However, they did not shoot ; but 
when he got close enough they rushed up like they were 
going to take hold of him. He began knocking them 
down with the butt of his gun; they kept on coming 
and he kept on knocking them down until finally he 
reached his boat, untied it and laid down the gun — of 
which only the barrel was left. 

One old Indian recovered enough to run after and 
take hold of the boat. Grandfather laid down his oars, 
picked up his gun barrel and hit the Indian on the 
head and he sank in the water. Grandfather then 
grabbed up his oars again and pulled for the other 
side. 

He said some of the Indians recovered and picked 
up their bows and pointed them at him. He thought 



20 Experiences: An 

every minute they would shoot him, but they did not, 
and he got back all right. He thought the Indians must 
have been drunk. 

I have heard father tell another story about grand- 
father and another man named Mingo, and three other 
men. They went several miles from home hunting. 
They took their dogs and guns and went down into a 
bottom where the cane grew thick. They found a 
large tree, several feet through, which had fallen. 
Close to this tree they built a fire and made their 
bed between the big log and the fire. They found some 
limbs on the log that answered for a gunrack. On 
these they laid their guns and lay them down to sleep. 

In the night, while the fire was yet burning bright 
— as well as I remember, several Indians stole up and 
fired into where they were lying. They killed one man 
and wounded another. Grandfather and the old man, 
Mingo, grabbed their guns and fell behind the big log. 
The Indians rushed up to the fire, and as they came 
both men behind the log took good aim by the light of 
the fire and each killed an Indian. The wounded man, 
who was the old man's son, got his own gun and killed 
one, and then grabbed the dead man's gun and killed 
another ; while one of the big dogs caught still another 
by the throat and held onto him until he choked him 
to death; which made five Indians killed. The other 
Indians then left. 

Grandfather and the old man took the wounded 
man and started home. They had to go up a mountain 



Autobiography 21 

and when they got partly up the mountain the wounded 
man begged them to lay him down and let him die. 
They stayed with him until he died and laid him by 
a log on the mountain side and left him until the next 
day, when they returned and got the two dead men. 

Mother said where her father used to live there 
were lots of bears and panthers and he usually kept 
several dogs which he took with him when he would 
go hunting. She said he was out hunting one day when 
the dogs got on track of something. They ran on ahead 
of him and he heard them barking at whatever it was. 
When he got up pretty close he saw they had run some- 
thing into a cave or sink in the ground. 

He went up and was peeping under to see what it 
might be, when the bank gave way and he fell in where 
there was an old mother bear with her young ones. As 
soon as he fell in the dogs leaped right onto the old 
bear, and in trying to get away from them she ran over 
grandfather and jumped out, with the dogs after her. 

Grandfather got out and followed the dogs and met 
them coming back to him. He thought strange of this 
as the dogs did not usually turn back until their victim 
was dead. So he went on a little farther and the dogs 
trotted on to where the old bear was lying dead, with a 
knife stuck in her. He had grabbed his knife as the 
bear ran over him in the cave and stuck it in her and 
was so excited he did not know it. He looked down in 
his belt and saw his knife was gone. 



22 Experiences: An 

It was in 1852 or 1853, 1 think, when father moved 
to Missouri. I was seven or eight years old. Father 
bought a farm on a little creek, called Guffy creek, I 
think. He lived there two or three years and then 
moved about a mile and a half. 

The only schoolhouse I remember ever hearing of 
in that part of the country was about three and one- 
half miles from where we first lived. It was a log 
house with only one room. There the Baptists and 
Methodists held their meetings. I think each denomi- 
nation had a church organization. 

We children walked to school. We had to get up 
early in the morning to get there on time. We would 
cook our breakfast and fix our lunch and start before 
daylight, and before the others of the family got up. 
Part of the time we had to go barefoot and sometimes 
there was frost on the ground, and our feet would be 
so cold we would sit down, after the sun rose, to warm 
in the sunshine. We all sat close together and my 
brothers would wrap their feet in the skirt of my 
dress, and we would sit there a little while to warm. 
The first child to get to school would have the lesson 
first. We did not complain of the cold, nor the long 
walk, nor being barefoot. We were well and happy 
and thought we were having a good time. 

After two or three years father sold that place and 
settled another upland place which was only about two 
miles from school and church. This place was on a 
public road that led to Springfield, Missouri, about 



Autobiography 23 

twenty miles west, I think. There was a postoffice 
about two miles east of us kept by Grandfather Huff. 
The mail was carried by our house. 

Lots of fruit and nuts grew in that country. There 
were large summer grapes and winter grapes, black 
walnuts and white walnuts, hickorynuts and hazelnuts, 
and papaws. We children used to eat grapes — seeds, 
hulls and all — almost as long as we could swallow them 
and if it ever hurt any of us I do not know it. We had 
never heard of appendicitis then and did not even know 
we had an appendix. 

The snow would fall, sometimes, two or three feet 
deep and lie on the ground for several weeks. Some- 
times father would not get our shoes made before 
Christmas. We would go out and play in the snow 
just the same. When our feet got so cold we could not 
stand it any longer we ran into the house to the fire 
and melted the snow off our feet. This never seemed 
to hurt any of us that I remember. 

The house we lived in was just one large room with 
a porch in front. It was built of logs and had a floor 
of puncheons — that is logs split open and hewed flat 
on one side. It was not very tight. Sometimes in win- 
ter, as well as in summer, we children would sleep on 
a straw mattress made down on the floor with our feet 
to the fire. I do not know that we ever slept cold. 

We had another log house built about thirty feet 
from the big house, as we called it, which we called the 



24 Experiences: An 

smokehouse. It had the dirt for a floor. Here mother 
cooked and ate and had her loom. 

Mother wove all the everyday clothes. She would 
make two bolts of woolen cloth for winter — one for 
father and the boys and one for herself and the girls. 
Then in the spring she would make cotton cloth for 
summer everyday wear. I, myself, learned to card 
and spin and weave. 

On this farm brother Willie, who was near my age, 
would break land with a yoke of oxen. Sometimes I 
would go out where he was plowing and he would want 
me to drive the oxen. I would drive for him until time 
to go to dinner and then he would get on one ox and I 
on the other, astride, and ride them to water. This is 
the way I learned to drive oxen — which seemed to be 
a providential thing in later years. 

At this place my brother Jimmie died — the only one 
who died before being grown. He stayed in the creek 
and bathed too long, and took membranous croup and 
died. 

This was the last place my father owned. 

I was then getting old enough to think about my 
soul. I had been taught the fear of God and that there 
was a heaven and hell, and that all good people went to 
heaven and all bad people to hell. 

A Baptist preacher named Wash Pierce preached at 
the schoolhouse where we went to school. Father, 
mother and all we children used to go to hear him 



Autobiography 25 

preach once a month — usually. We would go in the 
wagon when the family went, but we children often 
walked. 

I used to sit and look at this preacher and cry, when 
I think I was not over ten years old. It seemed like 
he put all his strength and mind into his preaching. 
He would press his hands on his temples and then to 
his breast and then to his side like it was straining 
every nerve in him. I could hardly stand it. I wept 
nearly all the time he was preaching. It seemed like 
I dearly loved him. I always loved a good preacher 
and I never doubted the Bible a minute in my life, that 
I have any knowledge of — not even before I was con- 
verted. 

The Baptists and Methodists would both hold pro- 
tracted meetings close to the schoolhouse in the sum- 
mer, under a brush arbor. They would have what was 
called the mourners' bench and would call mourners — 
those who were seeking the Lord and wanted to be 
saved and wanted the Christians to pray for them that 
God would save them. 

A man, named Henry Cornelius, if I remember 
right, would go up to the mourners' bench at the 
Methodist and Baptist meetings (for we went to both) , 
for I do not know how long; it was years. He would 
weep and mourn loud enough to be heard ever so far. 
He would lie right on the ground in the straw. I do 
not know whether or not he was converted, but I can 



26 Experiences: An 

not help believing he is now with that God he sought 
so long. 

At one of these protracted meetings in this little 
schoolhouse is where I trust I was converted. I was 
about thirteen years old. My older sister and brothers 
had been going to the meetings, but I think I had not 
been going to the first of the meetings. One of my 
brothers came home from church one evening and said 
they were having a good meeting. He and I went that 
night. We ran part of the way. Brother told me of 
different ones who had been converted and remarked : 
"They will get you tonight, will they not?" I told him 
they might get him. We got there and the preacher 
preached and then called for mourners who wanted to 
be prayed for to come. 

I do not know that I had ever thought about myself 
seeking the Lord ; but that night I saw so many go up 
for prayer the thought came to me to go too. My two 
brothers older than I had gone up for prayer and the 
thought came to me, "I want to go, too ;" so I went and 
kneeled down at the mourners' bench and commenced 
trying to pray. I reckon this was the first time I had 
ever tried to pray in my life. Mother had never taught 
me a form of prayer — she taught us to ask God for 
what we needed. 

The good people told me to ask God to save me, and 
to trust in God, and submit to God and give myself to 
him. It seemed to me like I was trying to do all I could. 
While others were being converted I was left. I did 



Autobiography 27 

not know why God would not save me. They would 
tell me to give myself to the Lord and it seemed to me 
the Lord would not have me. 

I kept trying to come to God and prayed the best I 
knew for God to take me and save me. Finally it 
seemed like I got strength to submit to God and trust 
him, and then I was lifted up and it seemed like I felt 
lighter. My burden was gone and I praised God. 

I had not got out of the house until something said, 
"Aren't you ashamed of what you have done ? You are 
too young to get religion." Then I said, "Why? What 
made me feel like I did ? I know it is God and not me." 
Then I rejoiced. And then after all that, there would 
something come to me again and say, "You are too 
young; you were just excited." Oh! How the wicked 
one would try to make me doubt. 

My father sold out and was intending to move, so 
I did not join the church then. 

My father moved from Taney county to Lawrence 
county, Missouri, two or three years before the Civil 
War. He was not settled in Lawrence county. I think 
he did not live more than a year at one place. 

There were more churches and schools in Lawrence 
county, but I think my people did not join the church 
while living there. As for myself the longer I waited 
the less I felt like joining. I went to preaching at dif- 
ferent places, but I did not feel right. I felt like one 
alone. I could not say I was a Christian — I thought I 



28 Experiences: An 

might be mistaken — and I could not come as a sinner. 

Sometimes I would be so troubled about my condi- 
tion I would get to thinking and praying after I went 
to bed and would weep and shed so many tears I was 
afraid some of the family would hear me. I would get 
up and go outdoors and then I would pour out my heart 
to God in prayer and tears. 

Sometimes I would dream the last day had come 
and that God was going to judge the world. I could 
see the flames of fire flashing from earth to sky and 
then the thought would come to me, "Now the last day 
has come and you have not been baptized. Now it is 
too late." The thought was so horrible it would wake 
me up and, oh, how glad I would be to know it was a 
dream and that I yet had a chance. 

I wanted to be right with God above all things. The 
thought would come to me, "How awful it would be to 
be mistaken, and not know that I was a child of God, 
and go to judgment and find it out too late." Then I 
would pray God to reveal my true condition to me. But 
it seemed he was not pleased to do so more than he had 
years before. In this condition I went through the four 
years of war. 

There was one place father rented, while in Law- 
rence county, that I will never forget. It was the Hag- 
gerty place, I think. The house was built with one 
large room and an end room to it, and then by the side 
of the large room was a kitchen, with a four or five- 



Autobiography 29 

foot hall between them. After we had rented the place 
and moved there some of the people roundabout in- 
formed us that the place was haunted. They said a 
man had lived and died there, and that he lay in the 
kitchen and his wife would not give him any water — 
that he starved to death for water. But we did not be- 
lieve in haunt stories. 

After we had been living there some time we had 
company who stayed all night and we had to fix a bed 
on the floor in the large room. The floor was made of 
wide plank and part of it was not nailed down. After 
we had fixed the bed something began pushing up the 
plank under it. It got quiet directly and then it com- 
menced pushing up again, like hogs pushing under the 
floor. After studying about hogs under the house 
mother did not know what to think. She did not see 
any signs of hogs about there anywhere. 

Mother said sometimes at night she could hear 
something like someone in the hall take the tin cup off 
the handle of the cedar bucket and scrape the bottom 
of the bucket like it was trying to get water from an 
empty bucket. Then whatever it was would make a 
noise like taking the tin lid off the milk bucket that 
set beside the water bucket, and then place it back 
again. 

Father and we children would laugh at mother and 
tell her she was dreaming or imagined it. So one night 
mother begged me and one of my brothers to stay 
awake and see if we could not hear something too. I 



30 Experiences: An 

tried to go to sleep that night but could not. I do not 
know what time of night it was but I heard something 
make a noise like taking the lid off the tin bucket. I 
did not wait to hear anything else. I put my fingers in 
my ears and stopped them tight. 

After a few minutes mother called to me and asked 
if I heard anything. I told her yes. Then I asked one 
of my brothers, who was sleeping in the end room, if 
he heard anything and he said yes. Mother said it 
scraped the bucket, too. I think father and my oldest 
brother were not there that night. 

Mother said she was lying on her bed one night 
while living there and it was thundering and lightning. 
Her door that led to the kitchen was open. She could 
see into the kitchen from where her bedstead stood. 
She heard something in the kitchen and raised her 
head. As it lightninged she saw something, or some- 
one, standing in the kitchen door with a garment on 
that hung loose from the shoulders down to the feet. 
She said whatever it was came through the hall into 
her room and walked two or three steps just in front 
of her bed. She said she imagined she felt herself 
rise up two or three feet above the bed. She said it 
then walked back. 



While we were living in Lawrence county father 
and mother went down to Barry county one summer 
to visit Grandfather Huff and were gone two or three 
weeks. They took all the children except myself and 



Autobiography 31 

my two oldest brothers. We stayed and kept house 
while they were gone. We could not help being a little 
bit afraid, but we had company sometimes and stayed 
with the neighbors some nights. 

After father and mother came back they told us we 
could make a visit down east about forty miles in Taney 
county, where we had moved from two or three years 
before. My clothes were not sufficient for such a visit 
and father had but little money ; so he went to Spring- 
field, about twenty miles, and worked several days to 
get money to buy clothes for me to make that visit. It 
was in hot weather, too. Poor old father was so kind 
and tender to his girls. 

We got ready and went to Taney county and were 
gone about two weeks. We went on horseback through 
the country south of Springfield, where the Crane Hill 
[Wilson's Creek] battle was fought the next year, when 
General Nathaniel Lyon was killed. This was a ter- 
rible battle. We were told that so many men were 
killed one could have walked on the bodies over two or 
three acres around a millyard on this creek. 

Father rented land and made crops in Lawrence 
county until 1861. He planted that spring but the 
country got so demoralized he left his crop and went 
down southwest into Barry county, two or three days' 
drive, and stayed there awhile. Then he moved back 
and finished his crop. We had a flock of sheep and 
mother took them wherever we went. 



32 Experiences: An 

Finally it got dangerous for a man to stay at home 
and father went back to Barry county, where grand- 
father lived at the time. William, one of my older 
brothers, died and the other one went to the war. 

Brother William had been sick nearly two months, 
after taking measles, when he died. The day of his 
death he tried to tell me he was going to die — or at 
least that was what I inferred — but I could not under- 
stand what he told me. I could only understand him 
to say die. I was the only one he spoke to about it. I 
never until then had felt my responsibility for my 
brother. He and I both had confessed Christ, but 
neither had joined the church. I felt that if I had done 
my duty it might have led my brother to do his duty 
also. I cried until I could cry no more and then I com- 
menced jerking, and kept that up, I do not know how 
long. Father came to me and tried to comfort me. 

Not long before he died a Mr. Burns, our neighbor, 
was at our house. He was a very devoted Christian, 
we thought. He and I were singing a song. When we 
would sing the chorus brother would raise his feeble 
voice and sing. This is the song we sang : 



God; my heart with love inflame 
That I may in thy holy name 
Aloud in songs of praise rejoice 
While I have breath to raise my voice. 







JOHN CLEM 
My Husband in 1890 



Autobiography 33 

Chorus. 
Then will I shout; then will I sing 
And make the heavenly arches ring. 
I'll sing and shout forevermore 
On that eternal, happy shore. 

When on my dying bed I lay, 
Lord, give me strength to shout and pray 
And praise thee with my latest breath 
Until my voice is lost in death. 

Then brethren, sisters, shouting come; 
My body follow to the tomb; 
And as you march that solemn road 
Loud sing and praise the God of love. 

Then you below and I above 

Will shout and praise the God of love 

Until the great and glorious Day 

When Gabriel's trump shall wake our clay. 

Then from our dusty beds we'll spring 
And shout "0 Death! Where is thy sting? 
Grave! Where is thy victory?" 
We'll shout through all eternity. 

Brother's death left no one at home to drive the 
team but me; none of the others knew how. They 
would not let anyone keep horses; if they were any 
good they were taken to the army or stolen. My oldest 
sister had married in Taney county, and that left me 
the next oldest girl. 



34 Experiences: An 

After father left home and brother had gone 
mother and I fixed up and moved down to where father 
was in Barry county. We put everything we had in 
our wagon and hitched a yoke ofoxen to it and started 
in the night, with our flock of sheep after the wagon. 

The reason we left in the night was because we 
were afraid the Union men would stop us if they saw 
us going south. When we stopped to camp at night we 
would turn the wagon around with the tongue pointing 
north. You know the Union men had possession of 
that part of the country. We got through to grand- 
father's all right and I did not have much trouble with 
the oxen. 

I think we lived there in Barry county one or two 
years. Father stayed at home pretty close. If a man 
were a Union man the Southern men would take him 
a prisoner, and if he were a Southern man the Union 
men would take him. There were a great number of 
men shot who were trying to stay at home. 

Mother and I had to go to town to mill in the ox 
wagon. Sometimes we would take a load of wheat and 
go fifteen miles to a mill in a little town called New- 
tonia, where the Federals had possession. 

Oh, how bad I hated to drive the ox wagon where 
men would see me. I would tell mother I did not want 
to go where all those soldiers were, driving the ox 
wagon; and she would tell me I would never see them 
again, so why need I care ? So we would start out. We 
would buy groceries and sometimes drygoods for the 



Autobiography 35 

neighbors, who would almost starve before they would 
go where the Union army was stationed. 

My father was a Union man. He believed in the 
old Constitution that our forefathers fought for. He 
did not believe in slavery. But my oldest brother 
joined the Southern army and was in the army four 
years. Mother had a brother who lived in Barry coun- 
ty, near where Grandfather Huff and father lived, who 
joined the Southern army and went south and left his 
family there. 

Uncle got word some way, so he said, that the Fed- 
erals had ordered all the Southern men to get their 
families out of Missouri; so he came back after his 
family and got me and my oldest sister — who had come 
home with two little children to live with us while her 
husband had gone to the war — to help him move. 

He had one yoke of oxen and a wagon and sister and 
I took our wagon and oxen. He loaded up his house- 
hold goods and started south for Arkansas. We went 
down a creek called Sugar creek that ran south. The 
road crossed the creek several times. There were 
mountains on both sides of the creek. 

After we had gone several miles we heard roaring 
of horses' feet. It was just before we came to a place 
where we crossed the creek and there was a crook in 
the road. In a few minutes we saw Federal soldiers 
coming on horses with their pistols in hand. We could 
hear the pistols pop as they came in sight cocking them. 



36 Experiences: An 

They commenced hollowing — with an oath — for un- 
cle to surrender. Each one, as he came in sight, would 
cock his pistol. I think there were about twenty-five 
of them. Uncle stopped his oxen and they kept telling 
him to surrender. He said: "Men, I have surren- 
dered." They said: "Hold up your hands and give 
up your arms." He slipped off the wagon and they 
began pulling at him. 

Directly the officer came up and asked him if he 
were a regular Confederate soldier (for he had on the 
uniform). Uncle told him he was. Then the officer 
made the men take their hands off uncle and said he 
would fight for a regular Confederate soldier as quick 
as he would for his own brother. Then they put uncle 
on a horse they had, and tied his feet under the horse, 
and went on up the creek north. 

I think I never saw another man so badly scared as 
uncle was. His wife and two little children were cry- 
ing and sister and her little children were crying. I 
was sitting on the wagon behind. I think I did not 
shed a tear — I was so dumfounded I could not. Directly 
there came another soldier, a little behind the others, 
and auntie asked him if he thought they would kill 
her husband. He said : "I don't know. They killed an 
old man back a mile or so in the road." Of course that 
scared her worse than ever. 

There we were in the road with two teams and 
wagons and no driver but myself — and uncle's team 
was wild and unruly sometimes. But there had to be 



Autobiography 37 

something done. We thought we would try to get to 
the next house, which was some distance below. 

I told aunty and sister to get in our wagon and I 
would try to drive the wild team. I started them just 
like I was not afraid of them and the other team fol- 
lowed. We went on all right until we came to the 
creek, which had a steep bank to go down to the water. 
I told them to wait there and I would drive across and 
then come back for them. 

I started up my team again and they held back 
pretty well until they got about half way down the 
bank, I suppose. Then they started to run to the wa- 
ter. They went almost across the creek, and below the 
ford on the other side, to the shade of some willows, 
and stopped. It was hot weather. I let them stand 
and drink. I then stepped out into the water, which 
was about knee-deep, and started them back to the 
crossing and on out. 

Then I stopped the team and got astride a fine mare 
which was tied behind the wagon and started back to 
get the other team and wagon. I think the mare had 
a sore on its back as large as my two hands and that 
was why the soldiers had not taken it. I had to get up 
on its shoulder to keep off the sore and when I got out 
to deep water it dropped its head to drink. That nearly 
threw me over on its head into the water. I threw up 
my legs to keep from falling and that made auntie and 
sister laugh with tears in their eyes. 



38 Experiences: An 

I tied the mare to the other wagon and drove the 
team across the creek to where the first wagon was. 
Then I got into the front wagon and we went on to the 
next house, where an old man named Frazier lived. 
There we drove the teams into a lot. 

This old man had a mill on the creek and was trying 
to stay at home and run the mill. 

When we got to the house there was no one there 
except one girl. She said the soldiers who had passed 
told them they had just killed an old man back in the 
road and her mother and sister had gone to see if he 
were her father. We all went down the road about 
half a mile and, sure enough, they had killed old man 
Frazier. 

There were several ladies there. They had a little 
cart and a yoke of very small young oxen and were 
trying to get the old man into the cart. There was a 
man there but he was afraid to travel the road and 
there was no one to drive. I let them know I could 
drive, and then drove the little oxen with the old man 
in the little cart back to the house. 

It was a touching scene. They had broken one of 
his arms and shot him in the back and then run a bay- 
onet into the pit of his stomach. Sister and I dressed 
the old man and sat up with him that night. I think 
I did not sleep one minute that night and that I was 
never bit by fleas as bad in my life as I was that night. 



Autobiography 39 

The next morning auntie and I started on the trail 
of the soldiers. They had come back down the creek 
after they took uncle and passed our wagons before we 
got to Mr. Frazier's; and they still had uncle tied on 
the horse. I think he did not say a word to his wife. 
The soldiers had come from Cassville, Missouri, about 
eighteen miles from there and they returned to Cass- 
ville the same day. 

As I have said, auntie and I started on the trail of 
these soldiers next morning on horseback. Auntie rode 
her sore-backed mare, and borrowed a little gray 
horse for me to ride. She expected to find her 
husband somewhere by the roadside dead. She sup- 
posed they would kill him as they had killed an inno- 
cent man the day before. 

We kept on their track until within two or three 
miles of Cassville, where we looked to our right and 
saw two Federal soldiers in front of a residence. That 
scared us but we kept going as fast as we could. Auntie 
had left her little children with sister and wanted to 
get back that night. We had not gone far when we 
saw these two soldiers coming on great big fine horses. 
When they caught up with us they managed to get us 
separated and one of them rode on in front with auntie 
while the other rode along with me. 

My horse was so nearly given out I could not keep 
up with auntie. After that big horse got beside him 
he just stuck to him. The soldier asked why the horse 
was so tired. I told him how far we had come and 



40 Experiences: An 

where we were going. He commenced telling me I had 
better stop and let the horse rest and I told him it was 
not much farther to town and he could rest when I got 
there. 

He kept insisting that I let the horse rest and would 
say "Here is a shade ; let's get down and let him rest." 
I told him, "No; I don't have time." He then told me 
he would get me a nice dress if I would get down about 
fifteen minutes. I thought then he knew I understood 
and could not play ignorance any longer, so I said to 
him "I will not stop if he drops dead under me. Do you 
think I would send my soul to hell for the finest dress 
in town? I have been better raised; and more than 
that ; I am going to report you when we get to town for 
the way you have treated me." 

All this time I was beating the horse to make him 
run and calling to auntie to wait for me, and she would 
say "Come on." I beat the blood out of the horse on 
its shoulder. 

It was not long till we came to an apple orchard 
where the fence had been burnt and these men rode 
on to get some apples. Then, when they got in sight 
of town, they ran on into town and we did not see them 
any more. I have always thought it was a mercy of 
God that he protected me that day. 

When we got into town we saw the guard taking 
uncle out of the guardhouse to dinner. They had him 
ball-and-chained so he could not run. We went into 
the hall of the house where they kept the prisoners 



Autobiography 41 

upstairs and waited until he returned. They took him 
upstairs and let his wife go up to talk to him, but 
would not let me go. 

When we got on our horses and started back my 
horse had given out and we did not get back that night. 
We stayed all night with a lady about six miles from 
where we had started. Next morning when we got 
our horses to start mine was so stiff he could not walk 
and we left him there. 

They carried uncle from Cassville to Springfield, 
and kept him in prison some time. They tried to get 
him to take the oath of allegiance and, as he refused, 
they sentenced him to be shot on a certain day. Before 
the day came it happened that uncle's wife had a broth- 
er there in the army who told uncle about the sentence 
and that he would be on guard a certain night and he 
would better try to get away. So uncle made a break 
from his prison when his brother-in-law was standing 
guard and escaped. His brother-in-law began shoot- 
ing but not at him. I saw this uncle after the war. 

I do not know how many times mother and I moved 
in the time of the war. Mother would take her sheep 
and I would drive the oxen. When we would come to 
water the sheep would not go into it until I would take 
the old ewe that wore the bell and pull it into the water 
by the horns and then the others would follow. 

I do not wonder at mother taking and keeping her 
sheep when I think how she and I would shear the 



42 Experiences: An 

wool off the sheep, and then card it into rolls and spin 
thread, and knit all our stockings and socks, and weave 
all the woolen goods we wore in winter, and knit gloves, 
and scarfs to wear on our heads. 

The first boy I ever remember loving was a man 
who boarded at our house. I have forgotten his name, 
He was gathering up men to go to the Southern army. 
I did not let him nor any one else know I loved him. 

At length he was fixing to go away one day and I 
had to wash that day. I took the clothes and went 
down to the spring some little distance from the house 
in a hollow that ran down from the spring. I wanted 
to see him once more before he left. I prayed to God 
that he would come up the hollow by the spring, and 
then, sure enough, I heard a horse's feet coming up the 
hollow where there was no road. That scared me. He 
came up and let his horse drink and I only spoke to 
him and he went on his way. That gave me faith to 
pray for things. 

Another thing happened in Barry county while we 
lived there during the war. There was a man named 
Bob Christian who lived close to us. There was an- 
other man named Murf Brown who lived in the neigh- 
borhood. Bob Christian was a Southern man when 
the war first came up, but later the Federals took him 
prisoner and carried him to Newtonia, about fifteen 
miles. 



Autobiography 43 

After that we heard he joined the Federals. He 
came back to our neighborhood with a scout of Fed- 
erals and killed Murf Brown, his neighbor, and his 
seventeen-year-old crippled boy, and then went by Mr. 
Brown's home and told his wife and children what they 
had done. 

We heard of the killing and I went up to Mr. 
Brown's home. The family had just got back with the 
two dead men — Mr. Brown and his crippled son — and 
they were lying on a little cart with a blanket over 
them. I lifted the blanket and saw large bullet holes 
in their heads and the flies had got to them and filled 
the bullet holes, as it was warm weather. It made me 
feel very sorry for his wife and children. 

It got so dangerous for men to stay at home there 
father started south and went down into Arkansas. 
After that, some time, mother and I loaded up the 
wagon and started to move to Arkansas where father 
was. 

We started down Sugar creek the same route we 
were going when they took my uncle prisoner, but the 
creek was full and overflowing so we had to go what 
they called the mountain road along the foot of the 
mountains on the east side of the creek. 

We expected to camp the first night at Mrs. Fra- 
zier's but night overtook us and we thought we had 
taken the wrong road and were lost. We stopped and 
I got on an old lame horse we had tied behind the 



44 Experiences: An 

wagon and went back to see if I could find the road we 
had missed. 

I did not find the road, however; but I saw some 
kind of a wild beast close to me at the foot of a high 
mountain. I thought it acted like it was coming to 
me. It was getting so dark I could not tell what it 
looked like nor what it was, so I turned the horse and 
loped back to the wagon and there we stayed all night. 

We took out the team and tied them up, and got out 
some bedclothes and made a bed on the ground for 
the children to lie down to sleep. We did not have any 
matches in those days — I had never heard of one 
then — so we could not cook any supper. We had some 
bread for the children. 

As soon as dark came and the children got quiet we 
heard something growl and hollow close to where we 
were. We did not know what it was; we only knew 
it was a wild beast of some kind. So we threw rocks 
at it and screamed and hollowed until it hushed. But 
it was not long until it was back hollowing at us again. 
Thus we fought that beast off I do not know how long. 
I do not know that mother or I slept a minute all that 
night. 

When morning came we found we were close to a 
graveyard at the foot of a high mountain. We thought 
if we had known that that night we would have been 
scared worse. We hitched the team to the wagon and 
started on without any breakfast. It was not long 
until we came to a fence and finally to a house, which 



Autobiography 45 

proved to be Mrs. Frazier's, where we had expected to 
stay the night before. Here we got our breakfast and 
then went on our way. 

Before we got to our journey's end we came to what 
was called the Elkhorn tavern, in Benton county, Ar- 
kansas, on the old military road that led from Spring- 
field, Missouri, to Fayetteville, Arkansas. There they 
had fought a battle — the Northern and Southern sol- 
diers. The cannon balls had cut the limbs off the trees 
so bad we could get through only as we would go 
around some and cut others in two. We went so slow 
we had to stay there in that battlefield all night. There 
were some graves of the dead soldiers not far off, we 
were told. The next morning we started again and 
kept winding about and cutting limbs until we got off 
the battlefield, and then went on to where father was 
in Benton county. 

I would get so tired sometimes I would think "I 
never will drive another team;" and then when the 
time would come to move or go to mill I could not get 
out of going. My own people nicknamed me "Bob the 
Bull Driver." My husband calls me that sometimes, 
and I seventy years old. 

Father and our family lived in Benton county sev- 
eral months and father stayed at home. We lived, 
while there, in a schoolhouse two or three miles, I think 
it was, from the old military road that ran from Mis- 
souri down into Arkansas. 



46 Experiences: An 

One day a scout of Federal soldiers came running 
up to the house where we lived and surrounded it. 
Father was sitting in the house mending shoes. One 
of the men ran around the house to the door and hol- 
lowed out to my father, asking what he was doing 
there, and drew a pistol on him. Father told him he 
was trying to stay at home. The man then said "Come 
along ; you are a prisoner," or something like that. 

We did not know but what they would kill him, so 
I got ready and started after them. When I got to the 
next house — about half a mile — they had stopped and 
one man was guarding father out in the road and 
another had gone into the yard and was talking to the 
lady who lived there. He was asking about her hus- 
band who had just come home from the Southern army 
and had left when he heard the Federal soldiers were 
coming. She was scared so bad she could hardly talk 
to him. When I came up the man asked what I came 
for — if I were afraid they would kill my father. I 
told him it was none of his business. They said their 
army was going to camp about three miles down the 
creek; and they took father on to their camp. 

I went back home and we found out the soldiers 
had taken our old lame horse. Mother and I got ready 
and started after them, and when we got to the creek, 
sure enough, the army had camped there. We went 
to an officer and asked about the horse the soldiers had 
taken. He sent us to another officer and that officer 



Autobiography 47 

said we would have to go to another officer. So mother 
gave up trying to get the horse. 

We then started back home and when we had gone 
about half a mile we came to the guards and they would 
not let us through. They said we would have to stay 
there as long as they stayed. So we turned and went 
back to the nearest camps where there were some men 
who had their families with them. We informed a 
lady we would have to stay all night and she fixed us 
a bed on the ground, and there we slept that night with 
that army of men about us. We did not know where 
father was, but there were several ladies and their 
husbands close by and everything was quiet. 

The next morning we got up and ate breakfast with 
them and stayed until the army took in the guards and 
left. They carried father on to Fayetteville, and mother 
and I went back home. 

In a few days mother and I took a load of wheat to 
a mill down toward Fayetteville, about half way from 
where we lived. We left the grain at the mill and went 
on down to Fayetteville and found father. He had 
joined the army. He said they gave him his choice — 
to join the army or be sent to Rock Island, Illinois, 
where they sent all their prisoners. So he joined the 
army. Mother and I went back by the mill and got our 
flour — and on home. Father said he would come back 
for us. 

I do not know how long it was until they finally 
went up to Cassville with a train of wagons for pro- 



48 Experiences: An 

visions and father was among the guards that went 
to guard the train of wagons. As they came back 
father came by with the wagons and took the family 
to Fayetteville and there we stayed a few days. 

Then the army went on to Fort Smith, Arkansas, 
and we went along as father went. They let him stay 
with us until we got to Fort Smith. There we stayed 
one winter — thirteen in family — and there my oldest 
sister lost her two children. They were buried in Fort 
Smith. Her husband's name was Isaac Long. He 
died in the Southern army and was buried at Pine 
Bluff, Arkansas. 

I think I was about seventeen years old when we 
lived in Fort Smith. There I got acquainted with 
a young man named Williams. He appeared to 
think a great deal of me. He belonged to the Union 
army — the Eighteenth Iowa Infantry regiment — that 
was stationed at Fort Smith. I learned to think a 
great deal of him and he finally asked me to be his 
wife. I told him if we were both willing when the war 
was over we would marry then. I would not have 
married any one during the war. I had seen too many 
families separated, and many that would never meet 
again. But I think it was a providential thing for me 
that we found out later this man had robbed a pay- 
master who was on his way to pay off a certain part 
of the army. I lost all regard for him when I found 
out what he had done. 



Autobiography 49 



While we were living in Fort Smith the young peo- 
ple would have a dancing party once or twice a week, 
and Mr. Williams came by for me to go to the dancing 
party one evening. I was right in for going just to 
be with the young people. I did not care for dancing 
for mother had never suffered us to go to such places. 
Mother requested me not to go, with tears in her eyes ; 
but I was so bent on going I went on. My oldest wid- 
owed sister went with us, though she was opposed to 
going to such places. 

I think we went to two or three such parties. I felt 
very bad the first time I went. The music haunted 
me for a week after the party, and, in my imagination, 
I could see and hear my mother requesting me not to 
go, with tears in her eyes. The last time I went I 
said: "I am never going to another dancing party," 
and I never did. I felt like that was the greatest sin 
I had ever committed. I had gone against my mother's 
will and had caused my dear sister to go when she did 
not want to go. We just sat down and looked on at the 
others dance was the most we ever did while there. 

It was not many days until there was going to be 
another dance right close in the neighborhood and Mr. 
Williams came by for me to go. I told him I meant 
just what I had said, that I would never go to another. 
He said he did not care, as he did not dance. 

I was never at but one show before I married. I 
was about eighteen years old when a minister of the 



50 Experiences: An 

Gospel — at least he claimed to be — sent my widowed 
sister and myself tickets into a show, the purpose of 
which was to raise money for the poor. Sister and I 
went but we had not been there long until both be- 
came so badly disgusted with the show we went home. 

The part of the army my father belonged to moved 
from Fort Smith to Little Rock, Arkansas, and father 
had to go, too. He moved the family on a boat down 
the river to Little Rock, and there we stayed until the 
war was over. 

While we were living at Little Rock, before the war 
ended a feeble looking boy came to our door and asked 
mother if he might stay with us until he got well. He 
said he had joined the army and got sick and was sent 
to the hospital. Because he was too young for a solder 
they had turned him out of the hospital. Mother said 
she could not turn him from the door — that she had a 
boy somewhere in the south and would not want him 
turned away sick. I think the boy had typhoid fever. 
He said he had been trying all the way from the hospi- 
tal and no one would let him stay. We had only two 
rooms to the house we lived in. There were nine of us 
children and, with this boy, father and mother, there 
were twelve in all. Father was at home for a few days 
then, but had to go back to the army. Mother had three 
bedsteads in one room and one in the other where we 
cooked and ate. 



Autobiography 51 

We gave the boy one of the beds. He grew 
worse until he died. I think he lived about two weeks. 
Mother, my married sister and I talked to him and sang 
for him and advised him to prepare to meet God. He 
talked as though he was not ready to die, until a few 
days before his death he awoke from sleep in a great 
fright and said he was going to die. It seemed he had 
had a dream or vision. He commenced praying and fi- 
nally got satisfied and said he was going to heaven. He 
told us if we ever heard of his father or any one else 
inquiring for Dock Lawson to tell them where he died 
and that he went home to heaven. Mother had him 
buried. 

Judging from what he said his father lived not 
more than fifty miles from Little Rock. I have no idea 
his father or mother ever heard what became of him. 
There was no mail carried then and people were afraid 
to travel through the country, so that we had no way 
of letting his people know. I have often wished we had 
published it in the papers after the war was over. But 
there were so many sad things and so much trouble 
everybody had all they could stand of their own trou- 
bles. I rejoice to think of his soul being safe in that 
mansion not made with hands if his grave was never 
found by father and mother. I have often thought of 
the happy meeting he would have with father and moth- 
er, if they were God's children, on finding their boy in 
the glory land, and wondered if he spoke of mother to 
them. 



52 Experiences: An 



I was then more than eighteen years old. I had not 
gone to school for five years and I felt the need of an 
education so much that I started to school there at Little 
Rock. I had not gone to school many weeks when the 
chaplain of the town came around to where we lived 
and said he was trying to find some one to teach a 
school for the refugees in that part of town. The 
refugees were people who had lived in the country and 
had come there for protection during the war. At 
that time the war was still going on. 

The chaplain asked me if I could not teach the 
school. I informed him I was not advanced enough to 
teach a school — that I was going to school myself. He 
then asked me what books I was studying. After I 
told him my books he said : "You can teach the school 
all right." So I agreed to take the school. I think the 
school did well. The school was near our home and 
some of my sisters and one brother attended. They 
learned fast. The school lasted three or four months. 

I taught this school in the fall and winter of 1864. 
In the early part of this year I had gone to church 
there in Little Rock, one Sabbath morn, I think it was. 
There was a large crowd at church and I think I did 
not know a single person there — not even the preacher. 
There was a man preaching when I got there. After 
he was through and took a seat another man got up 
and commenced talking. Before he was through talk- 
ing he said he was alone in the world — that he had lost 



Autobiography 53 

his wife and children. I thought he made a nice talk 
and, while looking at him, I thought, "You are a good 
man and would make a good husband for some woman, 
if you should ever want to marry." I did not learn his 
name. I did not think I would ever see him again. 

But during that summer, some time, there was 
preaching one night at the little schoolhouse where I 
afterward taught school. I did not go to the meeting 
that night, but went in the yard at home and sat down 
and listened to the preaching and praying. During 
the service some one led in prayer and I thought to 
myself, "That is the man I saw at church who had lost 
his family." I knew his voice. When I went back in 
the house mother asked who he was who prayed such 
a good prayer. I told her he was the man I had spoken 
of to her who had lost his family. We still did not 
know his name. 

After that, some time, a man came by where we 
lived and commenced talking to mother, who was 
standing in the door, about holding some kind of re- 
ligious service at the schoolhouse. I think he decided 
to come and have prayer meeting the next Sunday 
night — or perhaps it was the next Wednesday night. 
While mother and the man were talking I went into the 
room where they were and I recognized him as the man 
I had seen before at church. After he had gone I told 
mother he was the man who prayed such a good prayer. 
I think she learned that his name was Mr. Clem, and 
he had agreed to hold services at the schoolhouse. He 



54 Experiences: An 

had been to the cemetery where his loved ones were 
buried and had been on his knees praying. 

When the time came which had been set for the 
meeting Mr. Clem was there before time for the ser- 
vice and came out to our home and waited until time 
to commence. My oldest sister and I sang him some 
good songs while he was there. 

And this is the man I married the next year, Jan- 
uary 29, 1865. Peace had been made before we mar- 
ried, but the country was so devastated, and nothing 
raised, and everything the people lived on had to be 
shipped from the north, we both wanted to go north 
where the country had not been torn up so bad by war. 

On January 29, 1915, we celebrated the fiftieth an- 
niversary of our marriage by inviting our nine chil- 
dren, nineteen grandchildren, one great-grandchild and 
Brother George W. Truett, pastor of the First Baptist 
church of Dallas, with his wife, to six o'clock dinner 
with us. Nearly all these, as well as my husband's 
brother and his wife from Oklahoma, were present. We 
had singing, prayer and several talks. 

I will include here a short sketch of my husband's 
life and his articles of faith written by him as follows : 

Boyhood Days — I was born near the line of Ala- 
bama and Tennessee, in 1833 ; moved to Hardin county, 
Tennessee, near the Tennessee river when three or four 



Autobiography 55 

years old; stayed there twelve or thirteen years. I 
drove oxen and wagon hauling pine knots and cord- 
wood for steamboats and was named by the people 
"Pine Knot Jack." I was not allowed to swear or 
gamble, so one day I got off to myself and cursed and 
swore — which I have never liked to think about since. 
I liked to romp and play with other boys and had 
lots of scraps with them, and did love to fight. When 
about ten or twelve years old, with a neighbor boy, I 
went to mill on horseback five or six miles from home. 
While we were waiting to get our corn ground we 
played about the lumber piles and found a big nest 
of eggs. I think there must have been a peck or more 
of eggs in the nest. We had an old handkerchief 
apiece all tied up full of eggs. The road we had to 
go home passed by the miller's house, so we sur- 
rounded his house and hid the eggs. We then went 
back to the mill, got our horses and meal and started 
for home. My partner soon broke all his eggs and 
threw them away. I got home with one, and oh ! such 
a handkerchief as I had. I told mother about it all. 
She seemed to be very sorry I got them broke, as the 
whole family would have had a good mess. She had 
the egg roasted for me and would not let the other 
children taste it. She said poor Jack should have it 
all. After I ate the egg I went to put up the horse. 
As I came back to the house I met mother. She took 
me by the hand and asked me where I got the eggs. 
I told her about as I had told her before. She must 



56 Experiences: An 

have thought I had meningitis ; she went not only for 
the marrow but for the whole backbone. I have never 
since liked eggs. 

When fifteen or sixteeen years old, and then living 
in Henderson county, Tennessee, I went to mill one 
Saturday. Failing to get the meal, I was told Sunday 
to go borrow some. I caught the horse and thought I 
might just as well ride down to the mill, as it was not 
more than a mile, and get our own meal. I found the 
miller in his stable currying his horse and asked if he 
had ground my corn. He said, "Yes." I asked if he 
would put it up for me. He said, "No." He did not 
tend to the mill on Sunday, he said. I got tired begging 
him and commenced to tell him what I thought of him. 
He came running out of the stable, throwing the curry- 
comb at me. My horse broke for home like he was 
scared. I hated that man worse than my horse did. 

Now for my religious experience. 

I went some six miles to a Methodist basket meet- 
ing. When mourners were called I got up and walked 
outdoors. There was a considerable crowd in the yard 
and I whirled on my heel and went back in the house 
and fell down at the mourners' bench. The good peo- 
ple prayed and talked to me and I thought I was get- 
ting worse and worse. When meeting was dismissed 
two men raised me up and took me to my horse. I 
went home all torn up, ate no dinner, fed the horse, 



Autobiography 57 

went back to meeting and went as a mourner that 
night but found no mercy. 

The next meeting to go to was a campmeeting some 
three weeks off. I feared I would not live till then. I 
tried to pray and wept over my lost condition till that 
meeting began. I went to it Saturday and went up to 
be prayed for every chance until Sunday night. I then 
thought I would not go — that I was in the way of those 
good people. But a friend came to me and begged me 
to go one time more for his sake. I went. A number 
professed religion and I was yet growing worse. The 
good people told me to throw myself away into the 
hands of Jesus, so I made an effort to throw myself 
away. The thought struck me that the people would 
see my teary face, so I dropped back on my knees. It 
looked like that was the worst sin of my life — to be 
ashamed of my teary face. I felt like I was sinking 
down, down ; so I made an effort to throw myself away. 
The next thing I knew I was on the benches praising 
God. I could see such a fullness in Jesus for me and all 
lost sinners that the people all looked good. I was in a 
new world, with a new life and wanted to hug the miller 
who threw the currycomb at me. 

As I lived seven or eight miles from a church I did 
not join any church, but lived prayerful for some 
twelve months, after which I rambled from home. I 
worked on steamboats and flatboats on the river with 
card players, gamblers and drunkards but I did not 



58 Experiences: An 

partake with them. I never did know one card from 
another nor swear nor drink. 

I went to Arkansas when about twenty years old. 
In 1851 I married Miss Margaret Gibbs, who died 
some fourteen months later. My lot was so sad I think 
I prayed three to six times a day for twelve months, 
and prayed to die, but Death fled from me ; so I went to 
preaching. Every chance I would have I would go up 
as a mourner but soon would find myself praying for 
others instead of praying for my wicked self. People 
told me I had all the religion I would ever get till I 
followed Christ in baptism, so I joined the church. I 
told them my experience and that if they did not think 
I was a Christian not to receive me — but they received 
me. The next evening was set for my baptism and I 
prayed God if I was not a proper subject to prevent it 
in his own way. As I rose from the watery grave my 
soul was made happy and I felt like I had felt four years 
before when I first professed religion. 

It was not long before the preacher began to call 
on me to lead in prayer and I had made up my mind to 
try to do everything the good people told me to do. The 
church soon ordained me a deacon, so my responsibili- 
ties got heavier and heavier until I was impressed to 
preach. Then I would think, "How can I preach when 
I never went to school more than three weeks in my 
life?" The impression grew on me daily till I got to 
promising God I would try when I got an opportunity. 
After awhile it seemed to me God got enough of those 



Autobiography 59 

lies. I dreamed I was at the judgment bar of God and 
the whole world assembled to hear their sentence. I 
was there and never had tried to preach. So I decided 
to try and if I stood there with my mouth open it would 
be good enough for me. It was choose ye whom ye will 
serve, God or Mammon; it was make an effort or die, 
with me. 

My opportunity came at Big Creek Baptist church 
on Sunday. The pastor of the church asked me if I 
would take a part in the service. I told him I would 
try. He said for me to come up in the pulpit. I walked 
up and the devil went with me and told me to come 
down out of there. 

The pastor called on me to conclude, and I rose and 
commenced singing an old song — sang it clear through 
— and while repeating the last verse raised my head. 
It was a log house with big cracks on each side of the 
door. There stood two or three of my old chums out- 
side licking out their tongues and winking at me. Then 
I knew the devil was trying to keep me from talking 
and so I began talking, and never have had better lib- 
erty in my life. There were a dozen or more Chris- 
tians shouting and as many mourners down on the floor 
crying for mercy. I thought heaven and earth had 
come together and I could preach; but I had not 
reached home before I was praying for God to forgive 
me, as I had disgraced the pulpit and the father and 
mother who had raised me. 



60 Experiences: An 

I was in the fog again; but soon it came to me 
again : Woe to me if I preach not the Gospel. A friend 
asked me to send an appointment to his neighborhood, 
which was ten or twelve miles from where I lived. I 
did so and put it some three weeks ahead. The time 
came and I went, reached there about ten o'clock and 
found nobody there. I went off to the woods to pray 
and after awhile heard screaming and hollowing up the 
road toward a town. I looked and saw five or six men 
on horses. They passed around their bottle and ran 
down the road toward where I was to preach. I sup- 
posed they were after me, as I had heard how they 
used to whip and kill preachers, so I prayed God to 
help me. 

Then I went back to the schoolhouse. The house 
and yard were full of people and I asked another old 
preacher to preach first and he did so. There were 
two finely dressed ladies who sat facing the pulpit and 
they would mock the old preacher while he was preach- 
ing. I thought, if they make fun of that good preacher, 
what will they do with me ? The first thing I did when 
I rose was to reprove those two ladies. An old deacon 
told me if I preached till I was white-headed I never 
would do anything more appropriate than I did in re- 
proving those two women. 

I was told by a brother who lived in the neighbor- 
hood that every Christian there but one shouted that 
day and there were seven professions. The two ladies 
I reproved were down on the floor, their hair all down, 



Autobiography 61 

tears running from their eyes, crying for mercy as 
though they were tortured with the flames of hell. They 
both at last professed a hope and walked through the 
congregation begging one after another to forgive 
them. 

I was ordained to preach in 1861 and preached 
about fifty years and God wonderfully blessed my ef- 
forts and has paid me a thousandfold for all my preach- 
ing. I never asked for a salary and generally got 
twenty or twenty-five dollars from a church for each 
year. I preached for one church eighteen miles from 
home for eighteen years in succession. I did not 
preach very long sermons. On one occasion after I had 
preached a very prominent man stepped up to me and 
said: "Parson, you preached the best sermon today I 
ever heard you preach." I stepped around and swelled 
up and sided up to him and asked what new points I 
had given him that he thought it my best effort. "Oh, 
nothing more than you quit quicker," I was sawed off. 



I must mention one dark, gloomy year I spent in 
the Southern army in 1863. I volunteered for twelve 
months and served as a teamster driving mules and 
wagons. I never fired a gun and am glad of that. I 
volunteered for fear I would be drafted and made to 
go. I served under General Sterling Price — most of 
the time in Mississippi. I was in many close places 
running from the Federals. After I served twelve 



62 Experiences: An 

months I made application for discharge and got it at 
Big Black, near Vicksburg. 

I returned home and stayed around home until the 
Northern army took the country I was in. Then I 
went to Little Rock, Arkansas. There I lost my wife 
and two children, which left me alone in the world. I 
then married my third and present wife and we have 
raised ten children, nine of whom are yet living. All 
my children who lived to be grown became Baptists 
and my oldest boy a Baptist preacher. 

I lived in Arkansas, most of the time in Hot 
Spring county, thirty-two years; from there moved to 
Delta county, Texas, in 1885 and stayed there twenty 
years; then moved to San Angelo, Texas, and stayed 
there four years ; then to Dallas, Texas. 

I am now in my seventy-ninth year. My hope is 
in Jesus Christ. 

A sinner saved by grace, 

JOHN CLEM. 

This the twenty-ninth day of February, 1912. 



The faith of John Clem, this February 21, 1913 : 

1. I believe there is one true and living God, the 
Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and that these three are 
one. 

2. I believe the Scriptures are the Word of God and 
that they were written by inspired men who were 
moved by the Holy Ghost ; 



Autobiography 63 

3. That the Word was made flesh in the person 
of Jesus Christ and that he preached himself as the 
Son of God; 

4. As the Way, the Truth and the Life; and that 
he preached repentance, which is a godly sorrow for 
sin; and that he commissioned his Apostles to preach 
the same word that he had preached, which implied 
faith, regeneration, baptism and the resurrection of the 
dead, giving the assurance he would be with them al- 
way, even to the end of the world ; 

5. And that he saw proper and necessary for his 
new creatures who had been born again to unite or 
organize themselves as baptized believers, which union 
is called the church of God; and that this church has 
no right to receive a member until he bring forth fruit 
meet for repentance; and they should commemorate 
his death by the use of bread and wine till he comes 
again. 

We regard Jesus Christ as the only hope for this 
life and hope beyond the grave; and that he is King 
of Kings and Lord of Lords ; and that anything added 
to or taken from his law is abomination in his sight. 
He has told us how to preach and what to preach — how 
to pray and what to pray for — how to sing with the 
spirit and understanding — how to repent — how to be- 
lieve and how to be baptized, laying the example in 
Jordan. His traits and example were to be with the 
poor and humble class — with and among the dead. He 



64 Experiences: An 

chose the poor fishermen to represent his kingdom — 
poor workingwomen, who made garments and tents, 
for members of his church. 

How is it, today? The big Ds and double Ds are 
the leaders as preachers, who can tickle the ear and en- 
tertain the world with their wordly wisdom and by the 
help of instrumental music. The people are charmed 
with amazement at the roaring of the organ, finely 
dressed membership with broidered hair, jewels of gold 
and costly diamonds. 

The best college to qualify a preacher to preach the 
Gospel is poverty, afflictions, loss of children, wife or 
dear ones. These things cut a man loose from the 
world, self and the devil and drive him to seek the Lord, 
who is a storehouse of wisdom to him; who prepares 
him for every good work. Then when he opens his 
mouth God will fill it with good things for the people, 
and God is glorified. 



After we had agreed to marry Mr. Clem said to me : 
"You are a Christian; are you not?" I said: "No; I 
don't claim to be a Christian." I had grown so sick 
of sin I was afraid to say I was a Christian for fear of 
adding to my sins; and I was trying not to sin any 
more. 

Mr. Clem seemed to be surprised and said he 
thought I had the walk of a Christian. He then asked 
me if I had never made a profession of religion. I 



Autobiography 65 

told him I had, and then went back to the time I once 
thought I was converted, when I was about thirteen 
years old, and told him all about it. He said he thought 
I was truly converted but had failed to do my duty; 
that the Lord had commanded me to repent and be 
baptized and that I had failed to be baptized. He said 
he wanted me to commence praying and never stop 
until I knew I was right with God. 

I think we lived at Little Rock for about two 
months after we were married. We would both kneel 
down at night and pray together, and I would ofttimes 
try to pray when no one else knew it but God. 

We then moved to Illinois, not far from Carbon- 
dale, in Jackson county, I think. We made inquiry as 
to the churches and soon learned from the people that 
there was a Baptist church within three or four miles 
of where we lived. We met with this church once a 
month. Every time we went to church Mr. Clem 
would ask me if I were going to join the church with 
him. I would tell him I did not know. 

I had commenced trying to pray at the family altar 
night about with my husband ; and I would go out into 
the woods where no one could see or hear me and there 
I would pray to God to make me know without a doubt 
I was his child. Sometimes when I would start out 
that way I would think I would just stay on my knees 
until God revealed himself to me. It seemed to me it 
would be better to stay on my knees until I died than 
to be in such trouble. I got to where it seemed to me 



66 Experiences: An 

there was no use going on like I was — I had to make 
a change. I went to the Lord like a little child and 
said: "Lord, if indeed thou hast saved me years ago 
I am more than willing to obey thy commands, if thou 
wilt only let me and help me ; and if not thy will pre- 
vent it in some way." I felt then that the responsi- 
bility was on God and I got relief. I just waited to see 
what God would do with me. 

The next time I went to church Mr. Clem took his 
credentials — he could not get a letter — and when the 
opportunity came I just got up and gave my hand. It 
seemed to me that everything I did in that direction 
made me feel better, and that gave me courage to keep 
going. I was to be baptized one month from that time. 
When the next monthly meeting came we were there 
and I was ready to be buried with Christ by baptism — 
into death. I still felt good over what I had done. 

I think it was about two months after I was bap- 
tized the following occurred: A Mr. Hicks and his 
wife were living in the house with us. They were my 
husband's brother-in-law and sister. She had read 
a part of the Scripture and we had just knelt down to 
pray, as usual, before retiring at night. She was lead- 
ing in prayer, as it was her time to lead. I felt a lit- 
tle sleepy that night ; but after we knelt down it seemed 
that the Lord sent a prayer into my heart and it sank 
deep and caused me to say, "The Lord meet with us;" 
and it seemed to me there was something like a mist, 



Autobiography 67 

or something that came down on me and filled me full 
and running over — and it seemed to me the house was 
full. I was so happy I could not stay on my knees; I 
rose up and shouted praise to God. 

I have never been able to tell fully what I felt of 
the love and power of God in my soul that night. I 
felt like one moment of that happy time more than 
paid me for all the tears I had shed in my past life on 
account of my soul. I had no more thought of such a 
blessing when I knelt down than I had thought of fly- 
ing to the sky. I thought they all ought to be shouting 
praises to God for the house was full of his glorious 
presence. I thought the Lord had heard my prayers 
and seen my tears and had given me a greater blessing 
than my mind had ever conceived of. I felt like my 
troubles were over. 

Ever since that night I have felt that I am a child 
of God — I have not troubled about that any more. But 
I have had regrets all along my life since then that I 
do not love and serve God better for all his goodness — 
not only to me, but also to all the children of men. 

We lived in Illinois only about seven or eight 
months. My husband rented land there and made a 
good crop. He paid fifty cents a day for a horse to 
work his crop. He made enough that year to live on 
for two or three years. We liked the country well 
enough; but the people were all strangers to us and 
their customs were different from ours. After he had 



68 Experiences: An 

gathered his crop we went to pick cotton for a neigh- 
bor. I went because I did not want to stay at home 
alone. My father had raised enough cotton to make 
almost all the clothes we wore and to pad quilts but I 
was not much of a cotton picker. The man paid us two 
dollars per hundred and board. 

That fall, I think it was September or October, my 
husband auctioned off his corn and wheat and every- 
thing he had raised and we started to move back to 
Arkansas. His people and mine lived at that time in 
Arkansas. Some of his people were in Clark county 
and my father and mother lived in Clarksville at the 
time, above Little Rock, on the Arkansas river. We 
stopped in Hot Spring county, near where Malvern 
was afterward built on the Iron Mountain railroad. 

We moved on a farm my husband had owned before 
the war and lived there one year. Here my first child 
was born. My husband then sold this farm and moved 
west of there about five miles where he bought land in 
the Ouachita river bottom and built a residence about 
one mile west of the river. Here we lived about twenty 
years and during that time thirteen children were born 
to us, which made fourteen in all, born in Arkansas. I 
have been the mother of three pair of twins. 

The church that my husband had first joined and 
where he was ordained to preach was not far from 
where we lived. He commenced preaching soon after 
we moved there and preached to four churches nearly 
all the twenty years we lived there. He preached to 



Autobiography 69 

one church about eighteen years in succession. This 
church was about eighteen miles from where we lived. 
I think he rode a certain mule the most of the time he 
preached to this church. 

The Lord wonderfully blessed my husband's labors. 
He never made any charges for his preaching and the 
churches paid him very little. He both farmed and 
preached. 

We were both very stout and healthy. We had to 
work very hard to make a living. My children were 
so close together it made it a little hard for us and the 
children, too. There were two pair of twins born with 
about two years between them. But by this time there 
were five or six of the children large enough to do 
good work in the house and on the farm. These were 
all boys but one and she could do nearly all kinds of 
work by the time she was twelve years old. 

I did all the sewing for my family, for fifteen or 
sixteen years without a machine or pattern, and did 
not worry about a style to pattern after. I still cut 
out and made the clothes after I got a machine. 

I have often wondered why I had so many respon- 
sibilities, even from childhood to old age. I was the 
only girl among eight who ever had to drive oxen to 
go to mill and town and when we moved. 

My husband would go away from home to preach 
three times in each month and be gone from Saturday 
morn until Sunday night. He preached at our home 
church once a month on Saturday and Sunday. When 



70 Experiences: An 

he held protracted meetings at these different churches 
he would be gone from one to two weeks. He held pro- 
tracted meetings at the home church every summer 
for a week or two, and sometimes the Baptist associa- 
tion was held with our church. The people of our 
neighborhood would have stall-fed oxen, fat hogs, tur- 
keys, chickens, eggs and fruit in abundance to take 
care of the people. We would hire two or three cooks 
and feed from twelve to fifty people at one meal. Oft- 
times after dinner we would commence singing and 
talking and some of the people would get so happy they 
would get to shouting. The neighbors would hear the 
singing and shouting and would come in and sometimes 
we would have conversions there at home. 

No one but a mother can know what my responsi- 
bilities were with so many children and my husband 
gone so much. I tried to teach them the fear of the 
Lord and to bring them up in the way they should go. 
We would all kneel down at night and pray together; 
and in the morning and several times a day I would 
go to God on my knees and ask him to give me the wis- 
dom and strength to know how to instruct them and 
how to live before them. I did not feel able for the task 
without the help of God. I would pray to God earnestly 
to make them obedient to me. I thank and praise the 
blessed Lord for hearing my prayers. 

My children who lived to be grown were all con- 
verted while young. My oldest boy has given a con- 



Autobiography 71 

siderable part of his time to preaching the Good Word. 
Others are teachers and deacons, and I think all are 
trying to do right. Nothing gives me more pleasure 
than for my nine children — six boys and three girls — 
to come home and sit down with us and sing. They 
all sing well together, I think, and I would rather hear 
them sing than to hear the finest instrumental music 
on earth. 

It seems to me that musical instruments are in 
the lead in the churches. As soon as a church gets 
barely able to build a house to worship in they must 
strain a little more and give a supper or a concert and 
beg for money to buy an organ. They seem to say: 
"We can't worship without an organ." 

Now, how do you suppose that sounds to the ears 
of those who can not find an example or command in 
the New Testament for such? Christ blotted "out the 
handwriting of ordinances that was against us, * * * 
and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross." We 
are not to prophesy and sing with harps as they did 
under the Old Covenant, but we have "Boldness to 
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new 
and living way, which he hath consecrated for us 
through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having 
a high priest over the house of God ; let us draw near 
with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having 
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our 
bodies washed with pure water." 



72 Experiences: An 

What is to become of us, who can not find any ex- 
ample or command for such in the New Testament? 
We do not have to go back to the Temple to find how to 
worship and praise God ; we simply take Christ and the 
Apostles for our guides. friends of Jesus, will you 
help hold up the banner of Prince Emanuel and not let 
it trail in the dust? You would not let the banner of 
your country if your life could lift it up. 

I know it is a great cross to our sinful nature to 
contend against the tide of the world and a great por- 
tion of the so-called churches. "But because ye are not 
of the world, * * * therefore the world hateth you ;" 
but it hated Christ before it hated you, and if you seek 
to please the world you cease to be a servant of Christ. 

Dear friends of the Redeemer, if any brother or 
sister can prove to me by the Gospel the use of such 
things — or give me an example of where the first 
church did so — then I will give it up and thank God and 
you for enlightening me. 

It seems to me that the difference in the two Cov- 
enants is enough to prove that it is wrong to use dull 
instrumental music. The first Covenant was sancti- 
fied by the blood of beasts ; the second by the blood of 
Christ and the service is different. Notice the charge 
given to the Levites [Numbers iii, 5-8] " * * * They 
shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of 
the congregation." [First Chronicles xxiii, 30] "To 
stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, 
and likewise at even." [Psalm lxxxi, 1-6] " * * * 



Autobiography 73 

For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God 
of Jacob. This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony." 
see also First Chronicles xv, 17 and following; xvi, 
4, 5, 41 and 42; Second Chronicles xxix, 25 and 26, 
"For so was the commandment of the Lord by his 
prophets." Read chapters xxx and xxxi. We see 
that it "was the commandment of the Lord by his 
prophets" under the Covenant of Works. When Israel 
complied with all the commandments then it was that 
God spared their natural life and blessed them. 

Finding fault with the Covenant of Works God 
saith : "Behold, the days come that I will make a new 
covenant with the house of Israel, * * * not accord- 
ing to the covenant that I made with their fathers in 
the days that I took them by the hand to bring them 
out of Egypt, which my covenant they brake, although 
I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord. But this 
shall be the covenant that I will make with the house 
of Israel: * * * I will put my law in their inward 
parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their 
God, and they shall be my people." Yes, everyone that 
has trusted Christ is not under law but under grace. 

Four of my children died while we lived in Hot 
Spring county. My third child — a little boy baby — 
died after living several hours. I had a spell of fever 
at that time and was sick about two weeks. I felt like 
I was on a pivot and did not know whether I would 
live or die. I could not eat nor drink for several days. 



74 Experiences: An 

I prayed to God, if it were his will to take me out of 
this world, to make me resigned to death. I had always 
had such a horror of death. 

After I had been lying there for nearly two weeks 
one day when there was no one but my husband and 
an old sister with me I lost all thought of earth and 
found myself away up toward heaven. I felt so light 
and was just standing in space. I had not been there 
long until I heard sweet singing and directly there were 
three angels — I thought they were — came in sight. 
They were in something like a skiff boat and the 
thought came to me that they were in the old ship of 
Zion. There was one in each end and one in the middle. 
I think they were dressed alike. They came spinning 
along through space. When they got in hearing they 
were singing and smiling. I commenced singing just 
like they did. I have never been able to tell how glori- 
ously they sang. It was heavenly music and I sang as 
I never did before nor since. They kept singing and 
smiling and coming toward me until they got close 
enough for me to have put out my hand and touched 
the one in front. Then they stopped and ceased sing- 
ing and the one nearest me spoke and asked me if I 
would go with them and said: "If you will you shall 
be like Christ." 

The thought came to me, "If I go I shall die and 
leave this world," and then the thought of my husband 
and children came into my mind. I thought, "Can I 
go and leave them?" and the moment they came into 



Autobiography 75 

my mind the angels commenced drifting away from 
me. They went away singing as they had come, and I 
sang with them that sweet, heavenly music. 

The next thing I knew I was there on the bed in 
this world again. I have no knowledge of how I got 
up there or how I came back. I have often thought if I 
had got my own consent to go with them, or if my hus- 
band and children had not come into my mind, I would 
have died then; and I have always thought that if I 
had gone then I never would have known anything 
about suffering in death. 

My husband said he thought I was dying. The old 
sister who was with me said I was not asleep. I can 
not tell whether I was with the Lord in the body or 
out of the body, but I feel that it pleased the Lord to 
give me a glimpse of a part of the heavenly host and 
enjoy a portion of heaven in order that I might have 
it to look back upon through all my long life, to com- 
fort and encourage me. For if a foretaste is so glorious 
what must heaven be? I would not give up my hope 
of heaven for all the riches and honors of this earth. 

The next of my children to die were my oldest little 
twins, a boy and a girl. They were about fifteen months 
old. They were both sick at the same time, and only 
two or three days passed between their deaths. They 
had been such a care to me all their lives and I missed 
them so much it seemed that I could not give them up. 
For a long time after they died when I would leave the 



76 Experiences: An 

house I would hurry back and look around for my 
babies. When I would recollect they were dead it would 
be such a shock I could hardly stand it. 

I searched the Scriptures and different songbooks 
trying to find something which would apply to my 
broken heart and comfort me. Finally I found a song 
that seemed to just fit me. As Spurgeon said, "Sorrow 
is the consolation of the sorrowful." This is the song 
I found : 

So fades the lovely, blooming flower, 

Frail, smiling solace of an hour; 

So soon our transient comforts fly, 

And pleasure only blooms to die. 

Is there no kind, no healing art, 
To soothe the anguish of the heart? 
Spirit of grace, be ever nigh; 
Thy comforts are not made to die. 

Let gentle patience smile on pain, 
Till dying hope revives again; 
Hope wipes the tear from sorrow's eye, 
And faith points upward to the sky. 

I did not think the Lord would let me see them in 
this world again, but I prayed earnestly to God to let 
me dream of them. After several months I saw them 
in my dream as plainly as I had ever seen them in life. 
They were sitting on the floor, as they used to. I sat 
down in a chair and said : "Come to your mother; you 
precious darlings," and they both crawled to me. I 



Autobiography 77 

lifted them up in my lap and let them both nurse, with 
my arms around them. Then I thought in my dream 
that God had heard my prayers and commenced prais- 
ing him, which awoke me to find my arms empty. I 
was so happy to think God would condescend to answer 
my feeble prayer and let me see my precious babies in 
my dream, as I had asked him, that I kept praising 
him for awhile after I awoke. 

There came a time, I do not remember whether it 
was before or after my dream, when the thought came 
to me that God had given me these little babies and 
that he had seen fit to take them from me ; that he had 
given me other children who were still living and he 
could take them from me, and if I kept mourning I 
would not be able to take care of them. It seemed that 
I got strength and grace enough to try to be resigned. 

It may be that this will be a help to some mother, 
after I am dead and gone, who has had to part with her 
children. 

My next child to die was a little boy four years old. 
He was taken sick one evening and died that night at 
twelve o'clock. He had been a healthy child and died 
from congestion. From some cause, it seemed like I 
was enabled to give him up more readily than I did my 
little twins. 

There is another thing I would like to write of 
which took place while we were living in Arkansas. I 
think I had only two children at the time. I was young 



78 Experiences : An 

and full of life. My husband had gone from home to 
preach the Gospel. I had a single sister, I think she 
was seventeen years old, visiting me and two neighbor 
girls had come to stay all night with us. We had eaten 
supper and talked and laughed until time to retire for 
sleep and rest. 

I think sister and the other girls had got into bed. 
I stepped to the south door of the room, and happening 
to raise my eyes, saw in the southwest a great light. 
It looked like a fire, clear above the earth, toward the 
sky. It frightened me and the thought came to me, 
"It may be the Judgment Day has come and God is 
going to burn the earth." 

My conscience smote me because we had not knelt 
around the family altar in prayer, as was our custom. 
I called to the girls to come and see what it was. No 
one but my sister came. She peeped around and got a 
glimpse of the light and it scared her so bad she stepped 
back. I never looked to see what became of the light, 
but told the girls if we had all been praying instead of 
laughing and talking we would have been better off; 
and that it might be the Judgment Day had come and 
God was going to burn the earth. 

By this time we had both got into bed and sister 
said, "Let's get up and pray, yet." I told her God 
would, or could, hear our prayers there as well as if 
we got up to pray. So I raised both hands toward 
heaven and asked them all to pray. I commenced to 
lead the prayer, and before I had finished sister was 



Autobiography 79 

shouting praises to God. She said: "Lottie, I was 
converted when I was a little girl. I felt then just like 
I feel now ; and I know I am happy now." She went on 
to tell me about her conversion when a little girl. 

She said she was out from the house some distance 
one day, alone, trying to pray. She felt so burdened 
about her condition she could not stand it and she asked 
God to save her ; and he lifted her burden and made her 
happy. 

She started to the house to tell mother, but before 
she got there something told her they would laugh at 
her. So she did not say a word about it and never had 
told it until that night. 

I think it was about midnight when we got to bed 
again. Our scare was gone, and I do not remember 
that we went to look at the light to see what had be- 
come of it. I have always thought it was God's plan 
to remind us of our duty, and that my sister might be 
made to confess Christ — especially when I think of how 
she died just a few years after that. 



It was but a short time until sister married. She 
lived in Hot Springs. The family had a large bull- 
dog. I think there had been talk of mad dogs 
in town and sister's husband thought best to tie 
their dog. So one day the little children threw sticks 
and rocks at it. They were in the yard and the dog 
was at the barn. Finally, they picked up an old basket 



80 Experiences: An 

and threw it at the dog, and it made a lunge at them 
and got loose from where it was chained. 

The old negro cook saw the dog and told sister it 
was loose and out among the children. Sister ran out 
and caught it by the collar and told the children to run 
into the house. It was rabid and frothing at the 
mouth. After the children got into the house she made 
the dog walk on its hind feet, and held to the collar until 
she got into a room. 

She dropped the dog there and shut the door on it, 
and ran through the hall to shut the door that led onto 
the back porch. There happened to be a door open be- 
tween the room the dog was in and the back porch, and 
the dog ran out through it and met her just as she took 
hold on the doorknob to close the door. It grabbed her 
hand and stuck its teeth in some of her fingers. 

She went mad — I think it was forty days afterward. 
The house and yard were filled with people to see her. 
She asked the people to come near ; she wanted to talk 
to them. She told the people she was glad to tell them 
there was reality in the religion of Jesus. It had saved 
her and she was ready to go to meet God. 

It makes me rejoice to think of that night when God 
showed us the light. Before her death she selected the 
following hymn to be sung at her funeral : 

I am dwelling on the mountain, 
Where the golden sunlight gleams 

O'er a land whose wondrous beauty 
Far exceeds my fondest dreams; 




W. L. WIGGINS 

My oldest grandchild, son of Mrs. W. F. 

Horn, whose first husband died 

June 18, 1888 




SUE ELIZABETH WIGGINS 
My Oldest Great-Grandchild 



Autobiography 81 

Where the air is pure, ethereal, 
Laden with the breath of flow'rs, 

They are blooming by the fountain, 
'Neath the amaranthine bow'rs. 

Chorus. 
Is not this the land of Beulah, 

Blessed, blessed land of light, 
Where the flowers bloom forever, 

And the. sun is always bright? 

I can see far down the mountain, 

Where I wandered weary years, 
Often hindered in my journey 

By the ghosts of doubts and fears, 
Broken vows and disappointments 

Thickly sprinkled all the way, 
But the Spirit led, unerring, 

To the land I hold today. 

I am drinking at the fountain, 

Where I ever would abide; 
For I've tasted life's pure river, 

And my soul is satisfied; 
There's no thirsting for life's pleasures, 

Nor adorning rich and gay, 
For I've found a richer treasure, 

One that fadeth not away. 

Tell me not of heavy crosses, 

Nor the burdens hard to bear, 
For I've found this great salvation 

Makes each burden light appear; 



82 Experiences: An 

And I love to follow Jesus, 

Gladly counting all but dross, 
Worldly honors all forsaking, 

For the glory of the Cross. 

Oh, the Cross has wondrous glory! 

Oft I've proved this to be true; 
When I'm in the way so narrow, 

I can see a pathway through; 
And how sweetly Jesus whispers: 

"Take the Cross, thou need'st not fear, 
For I've tried the way before thee, 

And the glory lingers near." 

Another sad thing was the death of sister Sarah 
while we were still living at Little Rock and after I had 
married and moved from home. She was about eight- 
een years old and had been an invalid all her life. She 
was sitting by the fire one day in the kitchen. My old- 
est sister was in the room with her when all at once 
she screamed out. Sister went to her and she told her 
she was going to die and commenced praying and final- 
ly was converted. After she got through praising God 
she said, "I am not going to die now ; but it will be but 
a few days until I do go." Mother was not there at the 
time but came in soon afterward. 

In a day or two husband and I went up there and 
sister Sarah called to us and said, "Come here ; I have 
something good to tell you." We went to her and she 
told us she had religion. She seemed to be happy. 



Autobiography 83 

She wanted to see father before she died and want- 
ed mother to go after him. He was then at Clarks- 
ville, above Little Rock on the Arkansas river. Peace 
had been made but his company had not been mustered 
out. Mother got on a boat and went up where father 
was and told him sister wanted to see him before she 
died. They got ready and went down to the river to 
catch the first steamboat going down the river. I think 
it was not very long until a boat came and landed long 
enough to put off some freight. Father ran on the boat 
to see if they could go on it down to Little Rock. It 
pushed off so quick father could not get back to mother. 
They carried him on home, but mother was left to wait 
for the next boat before she could get home. 

When father got home sister Sarah met him as he 
came in and shouted praises to God that she had seen 
him once more. She died one night almost without a 
struggle and was buried there in Little Rock before 
mother got home. 

Oh ! the trouble poor dear mother had. 



In the year 1885 it rained so much the Ouachita 
river rose and drowned so much stock and washed the 
farm land in the bottom so badly my husband sold his 
farm and home and we moved to Delta county, Texas. 
We came through in wagons, starting about the first 
of April and reaching Delta county the fifteenth of 
April, 1885. 



84 Experiences: An 

We had ten children living then. The four youngest 
were twins — one pair nearly four years old and the 
others nearly two. My oldest boy was nineteen. 

My husband rented land the first year and planted 
his crop. Then he left it with the boys to cultivate 
and he went west to look at the country. He was gone 
one month, I think. I think I never put over another 
such month in my life. I was so lonesome I could not 
stay in the house. We were in a strange country and 
strangers in it. I was afraid something would happen 
to my husband — that he would not get back — and I 
would be left with ten children and no home. 

My husband told me before he started away that 
he had some greenbacks buried under the house in a 
can, or something, and I would better take it out and 
sun it. I do not know just how many dollars he had, 
but I think one or two thousand in paper money. He 
had never put money in a bank then. I waited a week 
or two after he left and slipped out from the children, 
crawled under the house, scratched out the can of 
money and went out to the garden among the bean 
vines — I think it was — where I thought no one could 
see me. There I took out the money and sunned it. I 
was so afraid some one would see me I was almost 
nervous. I put the money back where it had been and 
crawled out without being seen. 

My husband went west in a wagon. He worked 
two fine mules to the wagon and another man went 
with him. He went as far as Lampasas Springs and 



Autobiography 85 

Copperas Cove in Coryell county, Texas. He did not 
like any of the western country so well as he did Delta 
county; so he turned back for home. 

We had a very large bulldog which we had 
brought from Arkansas. While my husband was 
gone the dog would prance around the house at night 
and bark every little while as if trying to protect us. 

One day I got a card from my husband stating he 
would be home the next day. The same day I got the 
card the dog went out into the lane in front of the house 
and looked up west the way my husband had gone and 
howled two or three times as loud and lonesome as it 
could. It made me feel so bad. I thought "Is it possi- 
ble he has got so near back home and something bad 
happened to him?" 

To my happy surprise in a few hours we looked up 
the lane and saw him coming the day before he had 
written he would be home. The dog met him in the 
lane and was the proudest dog at seeing him. I have 
always wondered how the dog knew he was coming, 
for I believe it did. 



The boys had a fine crop when their father got back. 
We had five boys large enough to work in the crop 
and one girl old enough to keep house. We had rented 
a little two-room house. It was all we could get at 
that time. We had not much to go in it but children. 
I think we had no visitors while living in this little 
two-room house. In the autumn of 1885 my husband 



86 Experiences: An 

bought a nice, rich farm about a mile from where we 
lived and moved onto it that winter. Then we had 
visitors in abundance. 

We lived on this place from 1885 to 1906. During 
this time, which was twenty-one years, my husband 
was preaching to four churches nearly all the time and 
the Lord wonderfully blessed his labors. 

Here my last child, a little girl, was born, which 
made fifteen children. During the twenty-one years 
we lived there my children who lived to be grown were 
all converted, except the three oldest who had been 
converted in Arkansas. 

I am glad God gave me so many children to praise 
his name through all eternity. Lord ; grant that none 
shall miss it. 

While living here I lost a little boy about eight 
years old. Before he died he told me he was going to 
heaven. His twin sister lived to be grown and mar- 
ried; and then died, leaving two little girls. She lost 
an infant a few days before she died. 

She called father and mother, brothers and sisters, 
husband and children to her bed one night and told us 
all she was going to die. She talked like she was ready 
and prepared to go, and asked her husband not to 
grieve for her — she thought it best. She asked me if 
I would take her little children and keep them until 
her husband married. I told her I would. She then 
asked her husband if he would not let me have them 
and he let her know he would. She then told her little 



Autobiography 87 

children that their mother was going to die and they 
must go and live with granny and to be good children, 
so that granny would love them. She lived about four 
days after this and then died. I think I never saw 
any one more resigned to death than she was. I thank 
and praise the great and merciful God for the hope I 
have that my children who have gone are all saved, 
and that those who are left are trying to serve God. 

At her funeral friends sang the following song, 
which the family often sings in memory of her : 

She has gone to yonder city 

To abide forevermore, 
To that land of fadeless beauty; 

She has reached a brighter shore. 

Chorus. 
We shall meet in that bright mansion 

Where sad partings come no more. 
Oh, how sweet 'twill be to meet her 

On that happy, golden shore. 

Earth has lost a precious jewel, 

God's own hand was in it all; 
In his wisdom it has pleased him; 

She was ready for his call. 

She is resting, sweetly resting 

On his everlasting arm; 
She is free from all temptation — 

Safe from ev'ry earthly storm. 



88 Experiences: An 



"Papa, I see angels waiting, 

I see Jesus on his throne," 
Were the last words that she uttered 

Ere she reached the soul's bright home. 

How it fills our hearts with sadness 
As we speak the last good-bye; 

But we soon shall meet in gladness, 
Where true pleasures never die. 



Unbeknown to his father or mother my oldest son 
some time ago sent the following article to the Baptist 
papers of Arkansas and Texas : 

"John Clem is now eighty-three years of age and he 
and his wife are still living, their home being in Dallas, 
Texas. 

"About twenty-five years of his ministerial life were 
spent in Arkansas, Hot Spring county, where he was 
pastor for the following churches : Malvern, Fair Play, 
Franciway, Magnet Cove, Old Lone Hill, Ouachita, An- 
tioch, Fusholuke, Hickory Grove and Deroache, he hav- 
ing been pastor of the latter church for about eighteen 
years in succession. 

"He has been in Texas more than thirty-one years, 
having been pastor at Pecan Gap and Blue Prairie, in 
Delta county, and Roxton and a country church nearby, 
in Lamar county. 

"He has no regular ministerial work now, but the 
near connection and neighbors meet at his home on Sun- 



Autobio graphy 89 

day afternoons for prayer meetings and he makes good 
talks. 

"It is doubtful if a preacher could be found in Ar- 
kansas or Texas who has preached as many sermons, 
had as many converts, baptized as many, held as many 
funeral services, or fed as many people — considering 
the small amount of financial aid and the fact that he 
had such a large family. He had fifteen children by his 
present wife, who has often reinforced him in his ef- 
forts to preach and made it possible for such success 
to crown his efforts. 

"Among the thousands now living who have heard 
him preach, to say nothing of the thousands who have 
gone on during these fifty years, hundreds were con- 
verted under his ministry and many who were con- 
verted have become preachers or deacons or workers in 
the Lord's work. 

"The request is that every Christian converted un- 
der his ministry write him a card or letter about it. 
Every preacher converted under his preaching will com- 
fort him by writing a card or letter stating, if possible, 
the number of sermons preached, number of converts 
and baptisms, etc. He has time to read now, while he 
is unable to work, for he has his second eyesight and 
has had for several years and needs no glasses. 

"He knows nothing of this request but the writer 
being his oldest living son knows the pleasure this aged 
man of God will get out of these letters if mailed to him 
at 5511 Victor street, Dallas, Texas." 



90 Experiences: An 



A few days after the request was published my hus- 
band began to receive letters in response which gave 
us both a great deal of pleasure. I wish all these letters 
could be included but it is not possible to do so. Some 
of these letters recalled to memory friends and events 
many years back, and all of them were very helpful and 
encouraging. Each writer expressed confident hope of 
a crown in heaven. I will mention a few of those who 
wrote : 

J. A. Verser, of Magnet, Arkansas, is now eighty- 
six years old and was converted in 1848 in Virginia. He 
came to Arkansas in 1851 and later put his member- 
ship in one of the churches of which my husband was 
pastor. Among other things he wrote: "Truly the 
Lord has done great things for you and me, whereof 
we are glad and will praise his holy name. I can call 
to mind so many times you and I have been together in 
old Saline association. We will never see each other 
again in this life, but after awhile when the Lord shall 
gather his people together and take his own home we 
shall live as long as our Father shall live, world with- 
out end. Then shall we hear Jesus say: 'Ye blessed 
of my Father, come ye just, enter the joy of your Lord ; 
receive your crown; ascend and sit with me at God's 
right hand in glory evermore/ " 

Mrs. W. C. Scruggs, of Little Rock, Arkansas, 
wrote : "I am the third or fourth person you baptized 
after you became a minister. If you remember you 



Autobiography 91 

brought Brother Hammond, your father-in-law, to bap- 
tize my sister and myself, but we preferred you. That 
was about fifty-eight years ago, I being then about 
fourteen years old. The last sermon I heard you preach 
was one night in this city at your mother-in-law's, Mrs. 
Martin's. I do not know whether you remember me, 
but I remember you very distinctly, Brother Clem. I 
am seventy-one years of age. My sister died forty 
years ago, and I am the only living one of my family. 
I have always tried to live a Christian life and found 
my Savior a comforter in every trouble." 

Mrs. Ada Goga, of Donaldson, Arkansas, wrote: 
"The request of your son in the Arkansas Baptist 
brought back to my memory April 9, 1884, when you 
held my father's funeral. In my imagination I see you 
coming to us five little orphan children with tears 
streaming down your cheeks, and you wept as you told 
of your association with him. I can now exclaim, as 
the people did when Jesus was at the grave of Lazarus, 
Oh ! how you loved my father. But there is a sweeter 
memory of you than that — I sat under the gospel sound 
of your voice and learned the way of life eternal. On 
the thirtieth of September, 1884, I found the Savior 
precious to my lost soul and, with eight others, on the 
second day of October, you buried me in Ouachita river 
in baptism. It was one of the happiest days of my life. 
There have been many changes in Ouachita church 
since then ; all of the old members are gone, but we are 
still trying to hold up the banner of Christ to lost souls. 



92 Experiences: An 

Like all other Christians I have had many trials in these 
thirty-two years, but the Lord has always come to my 
rescue in my trying hours." 

Some of those who wrote were preachers still car- 
rying on the work. J. W. Milligan, of Sumner, Texas, 
one of the preachers, wrote : "Twenty-three years ago 
in July you baptized wife and I with eleven others in 
North Sulphur. I made my first attempt to preach 
September following and have been actively engaged 
in the work since. I was converted five or six years 
before I joined the Baptists. I am serving four churches 
— one at Antioch in Delta county about seven miles 
southeast of Pecan Gap — you must know where it is. 
I have baptized something like three hundred people; 
held about two hundred and fifty funerals and married 
about two hundred and fifty couples. I pastored for 
two years one of the churches you used to pastor, 
Friendship church, near Roxton." 

Another preacher who wrote was G. M. Hughes, of 
Alma, Arkansas. He was converted under Mr. Clem's 
ministry at Deroache church in Hot Spring county 
and baptized in September, 1884, when fourteen years 
of age. In 1892 he felt the call of the Master to enter 
the ministry and has been in the work since then until 
failing health a year ago forced him to quit. Lately, 
however, his health is improving and his letter is full 
of hope that he may again take up the work. 



Autobiography 93 

About three years after we bought the Delta county 
place, the Santa Fe railroad was built through our 
farm. A depot was built and a town established ad- 
joining our land. The name of this little town is Pecan 
Gap. 

As I write this at home in Dallas I have just heard 
the train on the Santa Fe railroad and it reminded me 
of when, near twenty-five years ago, the road was 
built through our land. There was a hill near our resi- 
dence that had to be blasted out for several hundred 
yards. When the workmen would get ready to blast 
they would hollow out to let the little children know so 
they could get out of the danger. The oldest little girl, 
whom we called Sis, would say : "All the babies run !" 
We called them all babies and that is what she called 
them. They would run for dear life to the house or 
barn, laughing and hollowing. She would see that 
they were all out of danger — her twin brother as well 
as the others. 

Recently there was an old colored man at our house 
who said he worked for my husband thirty years ago. 
He still works for some of our family. It brought 
sweet thoughts of our old home. 

Once, I think it was about twenty years ago, hus- 
band and I had been reading the Word of God and talk- 
ing about the meaning of something we had just read. 
Neither of us could solve the meaning, although we 
were both anxious to know. At length I had a dream 



94 Experiences: An 

one night and the meaning of the same Scripture was 
revealed to me. It was so plain and simple it seemed 
to me a child could understand it. I was so rejoiced 
I turned over to tell my husband the meaning and 
found him asleep. I thought "I won't wake him; 
it is so plain to me I can tell him in the morning." 

When morning came the whole thing was gone from 
me and has never come to me since. I regretted very 
much that I did not awake my husband and talk about 
it. Never wait until tomorrow to do things that should 
be done today. "Procrastination is the thief of Time." 
When God reveals anything to his children they should 
proclaim it to the world if possible. 

As I have stated, we lived on the Delta county place 
about twenty-one years. Ten of my children, six boys 
and four girls, lived to be grown, and all married. 

While living here my husband and boys, with Mr. 
W. H. Carson of Pittsburg, Texas, organized a lumber 
company. They established their first lumber yard at 
Pecan Gap, and from that established fifteen or twenty 
yards in Oklahoma and Texas. They have been in the 
lumber business about twenty years. The good Lord 
has wonderfully blessed our labors and given us and 
our children plenty of money to live on in this life. 

In the year 1906 my husband, myself and most of 
our children moved from Pecan Gap to San Angelo, 
Texas, and lived there about four years. 



Autobiography 95 

From San Angelo we moved back east to Dallas, 
Texas. We have been here since 1910. At this writ- 
ing, 1916, my husband is in his eighty-third year. He 
has quit pastoring churches, but preaches sometimes, 
yet. I am in my seventy-second year and am still 
keeping house. Our children all but one live close to 
us. They all belong to Baptist churches. 

When I reflect on my past life I am made to think 
surely goodness and mercy have followed me all the 
days of my life. I thank God for the Bible, and for 
father and mother who taught me the fear of the Lord 
and who lived godly lives before me. I praise the Lord 
for the hope I have which is "As an anchor of the soul 
both sure and steadfast." I feel thankful that God 
gave me a husband who was a minister of the Gospel 
and I have tried to be a helpmeet for him in his labors 
for the Lord. 

I do not know how long God is going to keep us 
here in this world, but I pray to him that we may be 
ready and happy to go to meet father and mother, 
brothers and sisters and our own dear children whom 
we had to give up. I feel like they will know us when 
we get there. 

And especially do I long to meet Jesus, who died 
that I might live. 



